Tongue Tied
by poorpiratelass
Summary: Yet another 'Rick's sister comes along for the ride' Mummy rewrite. When Rick O'Connell agrees to take the Carnahan siblings to Hamunaptra, his sister Madeline gets dragged along as well, and meets a Mad-jai warrior capable of making her feel like a moron
1. Prologue

Tongue Tied

Summary: When Madeline O'Connell's older brother Rick returns from his military quest to Hamunaptra, his stories make her concerned, but she never expects that they'll ever have to deal with the cursed city ever again. But then Rick gets himself sentenced to hang, and an unlikely savior appears in the form of the Carnahan siblings. The next thing she knows, she's being dragged along behind her big brother on a treacherous journey to Hamunaptra, where they accidentally unleash evil thousands of years old on the Earth – and have to team up with the Mad-jai warriors to stop him. And the leader of the Mad-jai warriors becomes a bit of a problem for Madeline, as he's very attractive – which, by default, makes her act like an idiot.

Rating: T

Disclaimer: I am not affiliated with the motion picture _The Mummy_. I wish I was, but sadly, I have no rights to anything. Please, please, _please_ don't sue me. I also have no money.

AN: I know that rewriting _The Mummy_ with the addition of Rick's sister is _extremely_ overdone, but this story popped into my head and wouldn't leave me alone, so… here it is! Please read it, because I actually think it doesn't totally suck.

* * *

Prologue:

Cairo, Egypt: 1923

It was pure luck that led Madeline O'Connell to glance out the apartment window at just the right moment. She'd been sitting in the one room trash heap, staring at the newspaper, her eyes glazed over. Her day at work had been far too long, spent serving platters of smelly, disgusting food to loud tables of whining, overpaid white people simply dying to sample authentic Egyptian cuisine – people who didn't understand that once you started requesting things like ketchup, you were no longer eating what was traditional. And, of course, her long day had ended the way her long days usually ended: she had gotten fired. Madeline got fired a lot.

It wasn't her fault – exactly. Maybe if she learned to control her temper, she wouldn't get fired quite so often. But then again, if her customers and her co-workers didn't treat her so goddamn badly, she'd have nothing to get angry about. And the problem was _not _that she was an irresponsible, immature young woman who had yet to understand the concept of a dress code, as her boss – er, former boss – had suggested. It was just that… well, skirts and high heels were uncomfortable and… and people were rude, and she… well, to hell with him anyway.

To make matters worse, she still hadn't heard from her older brother, who'd left several months ago with a French garrison as a legionnaire, on a quest to find a lost Egyptian city or something (she hadn't quite gotten all the details) and she had yet to receive even a single letter. Madeline was not only tired, hungry, angry, and broke, but she was also worried to the point of irrationality.

That's why it was so lucky that Madeline had finally gotten tired of pretending to read the newspaper ads for prospective employment and decided to go to bed. She walked over to the tiny, dirty window with a sigh, intending to close the shades – but stopped short at the sight in the street below. A rather dirty man in a brown legionnaire's coat, hunched over his horse in exhaustion, was slowing down his ride directly in front of the building.

Madeline grabbed her robe and her keys and ran out of the tiny apartment, raced down the narrow, creaking steps, and flew out the front door. The dirty man was slowly crawling off his horse, and nearly fell to the street as his feet hit the ground. Madeline rushed to his side, grabbing his arm and wrapping it around her shoulders in order to support him. "Rick!" she exclaimed, torn between excitement and worry. "Where the hell have you been?"

"Hey, Maddie," Rick replied in a scratchy voice. He leaned heavily on her as she helped him up the walk to the apartment entrance. "You look good."

Madeline rolled her eyes. "You don't," she replied shortly. "What the hell do you expect me to do with that horse?"

Rick shrugged, unconcerned. "I don't give a damn," he rasped. "Not my horse."

This provoked yet another eye roll on Madeline's part, and then two siblings slowly stumbled up the staircase. "What's wrong with you?" she asked him.

Rick coughed. "Tired. Thirsty," he returned, trying to save his breath.

Madeline helped him into the apartment and deposited him in one of the cheap wooden chairs sitting in their kitchen space. She poured a glass of water from the faucet and slid it in front of him. He gulped it down so quick his throat might as well have been a drain, and then immediately motioned for more.

Madeline complied. "Are you hungry?" she asked.

He shook his head. Madeline sat across from him at the old, unstable kitchen table and waited for him to catch his breath. "Start talking," she said.

Rick swallowed and raised an eyebrow at her, sparing a grin. "What? You're not even going to tell your big brother you missed him?"

"Not a chance in hell," Madeline quipped. "Where have you been, Rick?"

"Oddly enough, Hell," Rick replied. He grinned at her.

"And do they not have a postal service in Hell?" Madeline asked sourly.

"Now, see, I know you meant that ironically," Rick said, shaking his finger at her. Then he coughed throatily and took another gulp of water. "But no. They don't have a postal service out where I've been."

"Which was where again?" Madeline demanded.

"Hamunaptra."

Madeline's eyes went wide with shock. She wasn't exactly an archeologist or a historian, and she avoided the Cairo Museum like the Plague, but she wasn't deaf either, and even if she didn't speak Arabic all that well, she understood enough to know the stories flying around Egypt about Hamunaptra. _Everyone _knew about Hamunaptra. "You mean the City of the Dead?" she asked. "The cursed place out in the desert somewhere? Where there's supposedly crazy amounts of treasure?"

"The very place," Rick grinned.

Madeline eyed him ruefully. "But from the looks of you, I'm going to guess you didn't find much in the way of treasure out there, did you?"

Rick didn't argue with that assumption. He quickly began telling his sister the story of the hard, hot, and dusty road to Hamunaptra, and how once they'd found the famed city, they also found some angry natives who weren't too happy to see the company of legionnaires. Madeline listened wide-eyed as her brother related the battle they'd fought despite being outnumbered, how his superior officer had abandoned his men and ran away to save himself, and that his good friend Beni had raced into the tomb to hide, and closed him out of the only place of refuge he had, making it impossible for Rick, the only other surviving member of the army, to escape their still quite numerous enemies.

But obviously, since he was back in their apartment telling the story, Rick had not died out there at Hamunaptra, and he went on to explain about the strange winds, the haunting noises, and the face that had appeared in the sand beneath the statue of Anubis. The sudden phenomenon had frightened the opposing army away, and Rick had managed to survive a long walk across the desert back to the nearest form of civilization, and stolen a horse to get back to Cairo.

Madeline wasn't one to believe in ghost stories, but then again, neither was Rick. To hear her rational, cynical brother tell her he had witnessed something that sounded so… well, supernatural… was enough to convince her that maybe there was something to the legends of Hamunaptra.

Rick finished his story, and the two of them lapsed into silence. Unnerved by her brother's serious expression, Madeline asked, in an attempt to lighten the mood: "Did you bring me a souvenir?"

Rick grinned and reached into his pocket, pulling out a small, dark gray, octagonal shaped box. Madeline frowned at it, picking it up off the table and examining it. She had no idea what it was, and couldn't open it for the life of her, but she found the odd markings on it fascinating. She had no clue what they meant, but… at least they were pretty.

"I'll tell you one thing, Maddie," Rick concluded his story, staring at his sister as she turned the trinket in her fingers. It was on the tip of her tongue to tell him off for using the shortened version of her name, but she was so glad to have him back that she resisted. "There's something out there, something under the sand."

"Yeah? What?"

"Evil."

* * *


	2. A Meeting in Cairo Prison

Tongue Tied

Rating: T

Disclaimer: I am not affiliated with the motion picture _The Mummy_. I wish I was, but sadly, I have no rights to anything. Please, please, _please_ don't sue me. I also have no money.

* * *

Chapter 1: A Meeting in Cairo Prison

_Cairo, Egypt: Three Years Later…_

It was a bright and extremely hot afternoon in Cairo, and the air stank like sweat and horses. Madeline wasn't too bothered by the smell – she was rather used to it, and at the moment, smells were the least of her problems.

She was at the gate to the Cairo prison. No one around her seemed even remotely curious as to why a young woman was at the gate to the Cairo prison. That was because, sadly enough, she was no stranger to the guards there. They let her through the gates promptly, not even bothering to ask her name or her business. For the past three years, she had been a frequent visitor at the living hell of a containment facility, and there was no doubt in anyone's mind as to why she'd come there on that particular day.

She had barely made it two steps inside the complex when a short, pudgy, and extremely smelly Egyptian man rushed to meet her. "Ah, Miss O'Connell!" the prison warden exclaimed, grinning quite insincerely. "How lovely to see you on so sad a day as this."

She wished she could say the same. "What did he do this time?" Madeline demanded in a strong American accent, crossing her arms in front of her chest and letting loose a sigh.

"I do not know," the warden replied, shrugging his shoulders. "Perhaps you want to ask him yourself?"

He didn't even know? Madeline rolled her eyes. That was just typical. "Let me see him," she agreed.

The warden led the way across the dusty prison yard, finally stopping before an open air cell at the back. "I must warn you, Miss O'Connell, I do not believe you will be able to bail him out this time. Your brother has committed a very serious crime."

"A crime so serious you don't even know what it is?" she retorted.

The warden just laughed off her remark, unbothered by the sarcasm. "They mean to hang him today."

"What?" Madeline forgot herself and allowed the warden to see her astonished.

He shrugged again, trying – and failing – to look sympathetic. "It is sad business. But you know…" His sympathetic expression suddenly became a lewd leer. "I am a bargaining man, and I long for a woman's… touch. If you were to… assist me… I could be… persuaded to… _investigate_ the business."

The warden had sidled up far too close to her to be comfortable, and the stench radiating off him was enough to make any lesser woman faint. But Madeline O'Connell was no stranger to un-pleasantries, and his smell did little to faze her. The suggestive wink, on the other hand, she wasn't quite so comfortable with.

What she wanted to do was haul off and slug the short, sweaty man and then ask him: "Is that what you meant?" But the thought of her brother facing the death penalty stopped her. The warden was lucky they were in a prison surrounded by guards and he was holding her brother's fate in his hands. Any other situation, and she would have done exactly that, consequences be damned.

Madeline sighed inwardly. It was really just incredibly typical of her life that the only man interested in her was a lewd and smelly prison warden. Yeah, that seemed about right. He was probably the best she could do.

"I don't have the money to buy you a prostitute," she returned, smirking. "Sorry, pal."

The warden was not even upset by the comment. He just laughed, which only made Madeline want to punch him more. "That's not really what I meant," he informed her. Then he banged on the bars of the outdoor cell. "Bring him out!"

The guards burst out of the small building behind the open cell, dragging with them a very tall, quite muscular, and suntanned young man not much older than Madeline. He had long, stringy chestnut brown hair hanging in his unshaven face and his clothes were torn and dingy. At some point, he'd somehow managed to lose his shirt sleeves. Madeline really didn't want to know how. He was also sweaty and dirty, and fighting the guards like some sort of trapped animal, but it wasn't hard to see that underneath the grime and the maniacal behavior, the man was extremely good-looking.

The guards stopped at the bars, shoving the man to his knees. He looked up with clear blue eyes at his sister and grinned wide for her. "Hey there, Maddie!" he exclaimed in an accent similar to her own. "How's the weather out there?"

Madeline was not amused. She crossed her arms again, and glared at the man with her own clear blue eyes. Her hair, too, was straight and chestnut brown, but hers was much neater and cleaner, pulled away from her face with a headband. It was also much too long. Her brother wasn't the only one in need of a haircut.

Like her brother, Madeline was also tall and suntanned, and her arms were clearly toned, although her muscular build was a bit more feminine. The similarities in their appearances were far too great to mistake them for anything but siblings.

This similarity in appearance was a curse, as far as Madeline was concerned. That tall, large boned and muscular build was partially responsible for the strange masculinity that dominated everything about her, from her facial expression, to the way she walked and stood, to the men's clothing she wore. The other reason for that masculinity was kneeling before her, on the other side of the prison bars. Being raised primarily by her older brother, who had never been a very good father figure, in very questionable parts of town, had reduced her to a mere shadow of a lady.

"What the hell did you do, Rick?" she exclaimed, half concerned and half exasperated.

Rick let air slowly out his lungs and pretended to look puzzled. "Well, Maddie, I'm not quite sure. Something bad, I think."

"First of all," Madeline snapped. "Your sarcasm is not helping this situation. And second of all, don't call me Maddie. You know I don't like it."

"Sorry. _Madeline_," Rick O'Connell replied.

"That's damn right you're sorry," Madeline returned. "You know, I don't have time to come running over to the prison every time some guy in a bar looks at you wrong. I have a job!"

"Oh, really?" Rick asked sarcastically. "What is it this week?"

Madeline fumed, crossing her arms over her chest, but was unable to make a retort. This week's job _had_ been at one of the local shops, mostly doing stock work. _Had been_ being the key phrase in that sentence.

"Excuse me, I hate to interrupt these precious last moments between brother and sister," the warden cut in greasily. "But you will have visitors in a matter of minutes, Mr. O'Connell, and just in case they ask, what is it exactly that you did to wind up in prison _this_ time?"

Rick grinned up at the warden. "I was just looking for a good time."

The warden was slightly taken aback, but he merely shrugged and walked away, going about his pretend business. Madeline glowered at her brother.

"You were just looking for a good time?" she asked dangerously. "Well, I hope you did have a good time, Rick O'Connell, because you're going to hang for it!"

"Yeah, one of the guys might have mentioned that…." Rick replied carelessly, scrunching up his face and avoiding his sister's eyes.

Madeline rolled her eyes. Then, in extremely broken Arabic, she asked the guards restraining her brother exactly what they were hanging him for.

After they got through laughing at her pathetic attempt to speak their language, they answered her question in a manner she was sure to understand. As they explained the offense, Madeline's countenance grew livid.

"Damn it, Rick!" she shouted at her brother. "This city is practically overflowing with prostitutes, and you had to go and pick up a nobleman's daughter?"

"It was consensual!" he protested.

"Maybe so, but unless her father signs off, I don't think her opinion has very much to do with the matter!"

"Yeah," Rick agreed, chuckling ruefully. "You're definitely right about that."

"Damn it, damn it, damn it! Damn you and your death wish, Rick O'Connell! How the hell do you expect me to fix this?" Madeline continued to abuse him, feeling very nearly desperate.

"Hey! I don't have a death wish!" Rick protested.

Madeline laughed out loud at that. "You have got to be kidding me! _You_ don't have a death wish? _You_, Mister 'Hey that guy looked at me funny, let's go start a bar brawl?' Mister 'I'm going to join a garrison… for fun?' Mister 'Guess what, I met this guy and he's going to take me to Hamunaptra to get my ass shot?' Mister 'Let's shag an important person's daughter and get thrown in Cairo prison?' Mister 'I'm going to keep calling my sister Maddie even though she's threatening to kill me?' No, you're right Rick. What was I thinking of? You don't have a death wish at all."

"All right, I get it," Rick announced, annoyed now. "I screwed up! I'm in prison, looking at a noose! I understand! Now, unless you have something useful to say, like how you plan to get me out of this, please shut up!"

"Oh, I'm trying to think up a way to get you out of this, Rick, but it's not exactly easy. I swear, if they weren't about to kill you, I would do it myself. For the past three years, you've been in and out of this goddamn prison on every petty little account you can imagine, and now you've finally gone and done it. You had to get a death sentence! Why do you have to be so… so… insane?!"

Rick smirked at his younger sister. "You are every bit as bad as I am," he replied with an air of amusement.

A smile tugged at Madeline's lips as well, and she couldn't help but answer, "Maybe so, but _I_ have never been caught."

"Your visitors have arrived," the warden announced suddenly, appearing at Madeline's elbow.

The two siblings turned around to see another young man and woman standing with the greasy pervert of a prison warden. The man was undeniably awkward, with an affected air of the upper class – the type of air only affected by those who were undeniably of a lower class. He wore a white linen suit, had waved, slicked over brown hair, and his face was suntanned much like the O'Connells.

The woman with him was a very pale white in comparison to the company she found herself in, and she had very tightly waved brown-black hair pulled into a bun at the nape of her neck. Her eyes were a startling shade of green and she was undeniably pretty, even with her glasses on. Once she removed the spectacles, however, she became absolutely beautiful.

Madeline blinked at the green-eyed vision, suddenly absolutely one hundred percent jealous.

Whatever the pretty young woman had expected to find in the Cairo prison, it soon became clear that Rick O'Connell was not it. Although she did seem to try to contain herself, the woman could not help but wrinkle her nose in disgust and exclaim in a proper English accent, "But he's just a filthy criminal!"

The man who stood beside the woman cringed at his companion's outburst. "Way to go, Evie."

Rick, in his typical Rick fashion, was unfazed by this comment, and tossed out a rude remark of his own. "Who are you?" he asked. "And who's the broad?"

"Broad?" the woman exclaimed, rather scandalized.

"Oh, well, I'm just a local missionary chap, you know, spreading the good word and such," the man said, in an identical accent to the woman's. "But this here is my little sister, Evie."

"How do you do," Evie added.

"Yeah?" Rick replied. "Well, guess she's not a total loss."

Evie continued to look scandalized. "I beg your pardon?"

Suddenly, the warden shouted to someone across the prison yard in angry Arabic. "I'll be right back," he announced, disappearing.

"No rush," Rick drawled sarcastically. One of the guards behind him hit him in the head with a club, knocking him into the bars. Rick sent him a dirty look. Madeline rolled her eyes.

"Must you antagonize these people?" she hissed at him through the bars. "You're not exactly making my task here any easier!"

The young woman stepped up. "We, uh, found your puzzle box and we've come to ask you about it," she said with a slight air of hesitation.

"No," Rick disagreed.

She looked confused. "No?"

"No," he repeated himself. "You came to ask me about Hamunaptra."

At his words, both sister and brother adopted an air of secrecy, glancing around them for eavesdroppers, and moving closer to the bars. Madeline rolled her eyes a second time, and looked off into the distance. "How do you know the box pertains to Hamunaptra?" the woman asked, barely disguising her excitement.

"Because that's where I found it," Rick returned, his tone again sarcastic. "I was there."

The words seemed to hit her like a brick to the face. She looked absolutely dumbstruck, and absolutely thrilled about it all. But her brother, perhaps due to his own dishonest tendencies (Madeline couldn't help but think he looked to be a rather shifty character), didn't seem quite so easy to trust his new acquaintance. "How do we know that's not a load of pig's wallow?" he demanded.

His sudden involvement in the conversation was a mistake. Squinting at the British man, a glimmer of recognition flickered in Rick's eyes. "Do I know you?" he asked.

Jonathon started to stutter. "Well, uh, no, actually, I don't think so… just got one of those faces, you know…."

Madeline squinted inquisitively, peering at the man before her. Then she gasped suddenly, realizing she recognized the man as well. He bore an incredible resemblance to the man who had been standing by Rick when he'd lost his one and only souvenir of the ill-fated trip to Hamunaptra, the one and only adventure she had not been with him for.

"Rick, that's him," she hissed.

A hiss that proved unnecessary as suddenly, with no warning, and nearly at the same time Madeline had spoken, Rick's fist darted out between the bars and caught the other man squarely in the face. Apparently Rick had recognized him too.

The 'local missionary chap' fell to the ground, and the guards hit Rick with a club again. Rick, despite the look of pain on his face, couldn't help but struggle a little. The woman, however, didn't seem nearly as concerned about her brother as she ought to be. In fact, she stepped right over him as he lay on the ground, and drew closer to Rick, her voice becoming conspiratorial. "You were actually at Hamunaptra?"

Rick snorted with amusement. "Yeah, I was there," he replied.

Madeline wondered is she ought to check on the pickpocket, now writhing on the ground in pain. His sister certainly wasn't about to. "You swear?" she was asking Rick.

"Every damn day."

She didn't quite get the joke, being far too excited about the matter at hand. "No, I mean…."

"I know what you meant," he interrupted. "I was there. Seti's place. The City of the Dead, and all that."

Madeline, who had been spending the last few moments alternately frowning at Jonathan's prone figure and watching for the warden, finally saw the short and stinky man leave the gate and head back towards Rick's cell.

"I hate to interrupt this fascinating conversation," she hissed, although she wasn't sorry to interrupt at all. "But… the warden's coming back."

The other woman present glanced back over her shoulder and leaned in closer to O'Connell, attempting to cover their conversation by holding her hat to the side of her face. Madeline raised an eyebrow. The strange woman's excitement was almost unbearable. "Could you tell me how to get there? I mean the exact location?"

"Want to know?" Rick asked, his voice getting as low and conspiring as Evelyn's – a clear indication that he was about to do something completely rash and pigheaded.

"Yes," Evelyn replied, leaning in closer.

"Really want to know?"

"Well, yes."

O'Connell stepped forward and grabbed her by the chin, kissing her hard on the lips through the bars. "Then get me the hell out of here!"

Madeline sighed, shaking her head. The guards nearly had a stroke a piece over this latest behavior, and O'Connell earned himself quite a few clubs to the head. "I mean it!" he yelled as they dragged him back inside. "Do it, lady!"

Rick disappeared from sight. The woman he had kissed turned on Madeline. "Where are they taking him?" she exclaimed.

"To be hanged," the warden intervened. "Apparently, he had a very good time."

As the warden walked away, the woman again turned to Madeline, who said, "Sorry about the kiss, miss. My brother kind of has a tendency to, uh… grab life by the horns."

"Oh, no it's quite all right," Madeline's new acquaintance assured her. "Tell me, has your brother _truly_ been to Hamunaptra?"

Madeline nodded gravely. "He most certainly has."

Honestly, Madeline didn't give a rat's ass about stupid Hamunaptra. She wanted to go bust her brother out of lockup. But this strange woman was nearly glowing with excitement and craning her neck to see where Rick was being dragged off too. And suddenly, Madeline had hope.

"Have you?" the woman asked.

Madeline shook her head. "Oh, no, not me. He snuck out and left me behind that time, the bastard."

The other woman smiled slightly. "If I get your brother out of this, will he really take me to Hamunaptra?"

That had been exactly the question Madeline was waiting for. "Let me put it this way, Miss…. What was your name?"

"Evelyn Carnahan," she replied.

"Right. I'm Madeline O'Connell. Anyway, as I was saying, Miss Carnahan, you get my brother out of this mess, and he'll do any damn thing you please." She glanced away momentarily before adding. "And so will I, for that matter."

"Then it's agreed," Evelyn announced. "Now if I can only think of a way to get your brother out of this mess!"

"Well, you best think fast, Miss Carnahan," Madeline replied. "They're going to hang him in about five minutes."

"Oh!" Evelyn exclaimed, brightening as though she'd had a brilliant idea. "Bribery! Do you think that will work?"

Was she joking? Madeline frowned. "Maybe. I certainly considered it," Madeline returned sardonically. "Except, you know, funny thing about bribery. Doesn't really work that well unless you actually have money."

"Right." Evelyn nodded and took a deep breath. Madeline watched as she squared her shoulders with determination. Apparently, Miss Carnahan had money. "Well, let's do this then, Miss O'Connell. I promise you, your brother will not hang today."

* * *

Evelyn Carnahan followed the warden to his seat above the gallows, where she continued to plead Rick O'Connell's case. They took their seats as the guards below led Rick to his death. Madeline, who had joined Evelyn, was trying to look unaffected, but she was pretty sure the nervous glances she kept throwing down to the gallows gave her away.

"I will give you one hundred pounds to save this man's life," Evelyn announced suddenly in desperation.

Madeline closed her eyes and shook her head. She knew that would never be enough.

"Madam, I would pay one hundred pounds just to see him hang," the warden replied. Madeline's lip curled in anger and disgust, but for Rick's sake she kept quiet.

"Two!" Evelyn exclaimed. "Two hundred pounds!"

"Proceed!" the warden called out, ignoring her.

Madeline began to panic and sent a terrified look Evelyn's way. "Three hundred pounds!" Evelyn shouted.

The executioner suddenly called up in Arabic. Madeline, although she didn't speak Arabic very well, managed to make out what he was saying and couldn't help but smirk – albeit, sadly. The warden shouted back in Arabic, adding in English, "What are you, mad? Of course we don't let him go!"

The executioner smacked Rick in the head and proceeded to prepare for the hanging. "Five hundred pounds!" Evelyn shouted almost hysterically.

The warden signaled to the executioner to stop, turning to Evie with sudden interest. "And what else?" he asked, his hand creeping over her thigh. "I'm a very lonely man…"

Madeline rolled her eyes as Evie slapped his hand away with her pocketbook. The crowd laughed, and Madeline might have joined them – the act had been quite funny – but with that one slap of a pocketbook, Madeline saw Rick's chance of rescue vanish before her eyes.

His ego wounded, the warden shouted the okay, and the trap door swung out from beneath Rick. "No!" Madeline shouted, lunging forward.

Rick hung from the noose, his eyes bulging, trying to breathe through his constricted windpipe. "Haha!" the warden shouted. "His neck did not break! Oh, I am so sorry; now we will have to watch him strangle to death."

Evie looked shocked. "So much for my brother will not hang today!" Madeline shouted at her. Suddenly, desperately, she yanked a rifle from out of the shoulder holster of a nearby guard, smacking him across the face with the butt of the gun as she did so, and then aimed for the rope her brother was dangling from. A loud commotion broke out around them as Madeline shot the rifle into the gallows.

The bullet hit its mark. Madeline watched as her shot severed the rope and her brother fell to the ground, gasping for breath. Evelyn stared at her in shock. Madeline felt rather shocked herself. She had always been a good shot, but hitting that rope was practically a miracle. She wondered how much her success had to do with skill, and how much had to do with adrenaline.

As she stared below her into the dusty arena, the guards below raced towards Rick, who leapt to his feet and danced away from them, dodging their attempts to seize him.

That's when the guard whose gun Madeline had stolen grabbed the rifle at either end and crushed it into her neck, pinning her against his chest. Another guard jumped in front of her and pointed his rifle at her face, yelling in Arabic. She didn't even bother to struggle. It had been a rash action, shooting down her brother, and she suddenly doubted very much that it had helped anyone.

Enraged at Madeline's actions, the warden jumped out of his seat, but Evelyn stood up and grabbed his shoulder before he could act. "This man knows the location of Hamunaptra!" Evelyn shouted at him.

"You lie!" the warden exclaimed.

"I would never!" Evelyn protested, rather offended.

"Are you telling me this godless son of a pig knows where to find the City of the Dead? Truly?" the warden asked incredulously.

"Yes, and if you release him and his sister, we will give you…." Here Evelyn trailed off, uncertain what to offer. A quick look at the guards cornering Rick below and the guards beside her wrestling Madeline to the ground seemed to strengthen her resolve. "Ten percent!" she exclaimed.

"Fifty!" the warden replied.

"Twenty!" Evelyn offered.

"Forty!"

"Thirty!"

"Twenty-five!"

Evelyn's face lit up, and before the warden could correct his mistake, she exclaimed, "Deal!"

The warden cursed and rubbed his head in aggravation. "Let them go!" he ordered.

Below them, the guards cut through Rick's bonds and motioned to him that he was free. The guards with Evelyn and the warden let Madeline up off the floor. Madeline caught Evelyn's eye and mouthed an incredibly sincere, yet silent "Thank you." Evelyn grinned at her triumphantly, clearly pleased with herself.

Below them, Rick looked up at the two women who had tried so hard to save his life. Though he grinned at them, Madeline could see a strange look behind his eyes, and she knew exactly why. The stories Rick had told her about Hamunaptra were anything but endearing, and it was clear to her that Rick was not the least bit interested in going back.

* * *


	3. A Boat on the Nile

Tongue Tied

Rating: T

Disclaimer: I am not affiliated with the motion picture _The Mummy_. I wish I was, but sadly, I have no rights to anything. Please, please, _please_ don't sue me. I also have no money.

AN: A big thank you goes out to my reviewers, AnckSuNamun and vampiremistress2sexy. Thanks you guys! Also, thanks to AnckSuNamun for pointing out an error in the Prologue – it's been corrected. Some questions have been asked about Madeline's excellent aim, but I plan on explaining it in this chapter. Thanks again!

* * *

Chapter 2: A Boat on the Nile

Madeline hopped out of the cab behind her brother, reaching back for her knapsack. She tossed it over her shoulder as Rick got the rest of their bags down. It was only a few days after the scene at the prison, and it had taken every last minute of those few days for Madeline to convince Rick to let her come along. In the end, she had to point out that if Rick ended up doing battle with the evil he kept talking about, she was going to be a lot better back up than either of the Carnahans. Rick finally relented (which was good because her next argument was going to take the form of a temper tantrum) and here they were, unloading their bags at the docks.

Rick was holding both their bags, save Madeline's knapsack, and she stared at him. "Aren't you going to give me my bag?" she asked.

"Well, I _was_ going to carry it for you like a nice older brother, but if you insist…" Rick tossed her sack at her and she caught it in her arms, stumbling backwards with the weight.

"Jerk," Madeline said, giving him a dirty look.

Rick laughed and walked to the front of the cab to pay the driver. Stepping back from the cab, he gave the driver a wave of gratitude as the cab sped off. "So, tell me again _why_ you're wearing my clothes?" he asked.

Madeline rolled her eyes and turned her back on him, heading for the dock. "We've been over this already, Rick!" she called over her shoulder. "They're not your clothes, they're _my_ clothes!"

"Right," Rick replied skeptically. "So… why do your clothes look like my clothes again?"

"I told you already," Madeline snapped. "If we're going to be stomping around the desert, riding camels, digging in the dirt, and possibly fighting that evil you keep going on about, it's going to be a lot easier for me if I wear pants!"

"Maybe so," Rick said. "But, you know, today's not the first time you've gone around dressed like that, and I'm getting a little concerned. I mean, none of the other women I see wear pants…."

"Big fat I don't care!" Madeline interrupted in a singsong voice.

"… and there was the fact that you dressed that way when you came to visit me in prison the other day…." Rick continued, ignoring her sidebar.

"Yes, because, knowing you, I was going to have to fight our way out of that prison, which is also a lot easier to do in pants, and by the way, I would like to point out that I was right about that."

"… and when you go to work…."

"I'll have you know that I spend the majority of my days climbing ladders and stocking shelves!" Madeline retorted. "And that is also much easier to do in pants."

"And is that why you got fired?" Rick asked.

Madeline glowered at her older brother. "For your information, the termination of my employment was due to a combination of several very complicated reasons, and nobody was at fault."

"So, that _is_ why you got fired."

Madeline let loose a very loud, exasperated sigh. "You know, I don't appreciate your snide comments, Rick. You ought to be kissing my ass right now, seeing as, if I recall correctly, I just saved yours."

"Oh really? 'Cause I was under the impression that 'Miss Evelyn Carnahan' was the one who saved my ass the other day, not you."

"All right, _maybe_ her negotiating is what got you _completely_ off the hook, but at the pace she was going, if I hadn't shot you down, you'd have been blue before she'd sealed the deal."

"Yeah," Rick said, only half agreeing with her. "Nice shot, by the way."

"I learn from the best."

"Yeah," he grinned. "I guess all those years of teaching you how to shoot things finally came in handy, huh?"

"Which means all that time I spent nagging you to teach me was also time well spent."

Rick rolled his eyes. "Yeah, well, you were always pretty decent at it anyway," he half mumbled, affecting nonchalance.

Madeline pounced on the compliment faster than cats pounce on mice. "I'm sorry, did Rick O'Connell just admit that my success might not be entirely due to _his_ influence? I am in shock. No, I am beyond shock. I am in disbelief."

"If you don't shut up, kid, I'm going to kick your ass."

"I find it really amusing that you insist on calling me 'kid' even though I'm only two years younger than you," Madeline retorted. Rick didn't reply, and Madeline quickly saw his attention was focused elsewhere. She followed his gaze and found the Carnahans standing in front of the boat, talking amongst themselves. "Well, there they are," Madeline announced.

"Yep. The Carnahans," Rick agreed. "You know, we should make a pact. If one of us dies on this suicide mission, the other one has to promise to sue those people."

"I'll draw up the paperwork," Madeline replied dryly. "Now, let's review. Do we remember their names?"

"I know Evelyn," Rick answered. "And her brother is… uh…"

"Jonathon," Madeline supplied.

"Right, Jonathon. I knew that."

"You better know that," she retorted. "Remember, we have to be all smiles and sweetness and politeness because… why do we have to be nice, Rick?"

Rick rolled his eyes at her. "Haven't we been over this enough?"

"I want to hear you say it."

He sighed and said, in the tone of a bored schoolboy reciting his lessons, "Because we owe them our lives."

"Exactly. Good job."

They had reached the Carnahan siblings and were now standing directly behind them, unnoticed, and just in time to catch Evelyn complaining, "Well, personally, I think he's filthy, rude, a complete scoundrel. I don't like him one bit."

"Anyone I know?" Rick asked.

Both O'Connells smirked when Evelyn and Jonathon whirled around guiltily. Madeline's amusement only increased when Evelyn dropped her bags, stumbling all over herself, looking the very picture of shocked. Her brother had shaved, cut his hair and cleaned up for the trip, and the fact that he was incredibly attractive was now incredibly obvious – at least, it was obvious to Evelyn Carnahan.

"Oh," she murmured, not exactly sounding intelligent. "Hello."

"Nice to see you again," Madeline returned, with a smile that said she knew exactly what Evelyn was thinking. Evelyn blushed.

"Smashing day for the start of an adventure, eh, O'Connell?" Jonathon said, grinning and shaking Rick's hand furiously.

"Yeah," Rick replied skeptically, checking his wallet. "Smashing."

"Oh, no, I never steal from a partner," Jonathon assured him. "Partner," he grinned, giving Rick a playful punch in the shoulder.

"I see you brought your sister, Mr. O'Connell," Evelyn announced.

Madeline was slightly irked by this comment. It annoyed her to no end when people just skipped over her and talked to Rick about her as if she wasn't there. "Yes, well, Rick's not allowed to go places without me anymore," Madeline announced, elbowing her brother jokingly in the side. "Every time he does, he seems to end up in prison."

Rick laughed – but he didn't mean it. "That's funny, you're _funny_, Madeline." He said, giving her a smile that managed to be threatening.

Madeline took the hint. "Well, I'll just be on the boat, then," she said, hurrying away from her brother's wrath. She practically ran up the gangplank, rolled her eyes as she passed some particularly loud Americans, and fought her way to the room she was going to share with Rick.

Upon entering the room, she crinkled her nose. It was tiny and cramped, barely big enough for the two bunks squeezed inside. With a resigned sigh, she tossed her luggage on one bed, and began rifling through her knapsack.

She checked to make sure her pistols, bullets, and knives were all in together, and then started taking out the pieces of her rifle. Some of the weapons had been presents from Rick, who was always concerned someone was going to break into their apartment while he was away – they didn't exactly live in the best neighborhood – and others were pieces she had bought herself. She knew her fascination with weapons annoyed Rick to no end – he was always afraid her obsession was going to get her shot one day – but Madeline didn't really care. Fighting was the only thing she was good at. And if anyone should understand that, it was her big, dumb, macho older brother, she thought rather bitterly. It was his constant need to fight that landed him in prison every other week. At least she wasn't just doing it for the hell of it – she actually fought to defend herself.

She was cleaning her rifle and making sure all the pieces still fit together when Rick bounded into the room. "Just the way I like it!" he announced, tossing his bag on the bed. "Cramped as hell!"

Madeline smiled wryly.

"Good news," Rick said with a smirk. "Guess who's joining us for this little adventure?"

"Who?" Madeline asked.

"The warden."

Madeline blinked at Rick. "I'm sorry, I thought you just said the warden is coming with us."

"I did."

"That's not good news!"

Rick laughed. Madeline rolled her eyes. "Did you play nice with the Carnahans, Rick?" she asked.

"The nicest I ever played," he returned. "Despite your attempts to sabotage me."

Madeline smirked. "Yeah, well, it's just my nature. Did I see you making gaga eyes at Miss Evelyn Carnahan?"

Rick looked at her like he didn't know what she was talking about – which Madeline had no difficulty seeing right through. "No, I was _not_ making gaga eyes at Miss Evelyn Carnahan."

"Well, good," Madeline replied. "Because I'm sure we all remember what happened the last time you made gaga eyes at someone. Somebody almost got hanged."

"Are you ever going to let me live that down?"

"Well, I don't know, Rick, it only happened a few days ago."

Rick rolled his eyes. "You can be such a nag sometimes."

Madeline knew deep down he was joking, but the thoughts she'd been thinking before he entered the room made her overly sensitive. "A nag?" she demanded angrily. "Is that what you think about me, Rick? That I'm a nag?"

Rick turned around and seemed to realize, too late, that he'd hurt his little sister's feelings. "No!" he said. "No, Maddie, I don't think you're a nag. I didn't mean it like that."

"Then how did you mean it?"

"I just… well… it was bad word choice, Maddie, that's all. You're not a nag. Just sometimes, you know, you can be a little overprotective."

"And you aren't?" Madeline snapped, still stung.

"Well, yeah, I can be too, it's just that, well… I try to protect you from things that could actually hurt you, like… like robbers, and snakes, and… big burly men in bars!"

"Oh, please," Madeline retorted hotly. "You only do those things because it's fun for you."

Rick approached his little sister and said, very seriously. "Maddie, I do those things because I love you." Then he grinned. "The fact that they're fun is just a bonus!"

"Oh!" Madeline exclaimed in frustration. "That is just so typical!"

"What?"

"You would say that, wouldn't you?"

"What did I say? Why are you upset?"

"Don't you get it, Rick? That is the problem with you! That has always been the problem with you! When are you going to learn that it's _not_ fun to go around picking fights and getting thrown in prison?"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Rick exclaimed. "Where is this coming from?"

"I'm tired of babysitting you. When are you going to learn some responsibility?"

"_I'm_ the irresponsible one? Me?' Rick laughed without humor. "Oh, that's funny, Maddie, especially coming from you. You can't even hold down a job!"

Madeline turned on her brother, furious. "That is not fair!" she shouted. "You don't understand what kind of position I'm in! I constantly have to stand up for myself! The men I work for…."

"Yeah, yeah, isn't that just a convenient excuse?" Rick snapped. "Isn't that always your excuse? Poor little me, everyone's against me because I'm a woman. Other women don't get fired the way you get fired, Maddie!"

"That's because other women put up with being treated like shit, and I don't! And you can blame yourself for that!"

"Well, did you ever consider that that's why I get into so many bar brawls? That maybe I don't like being treated like shit either?"

"Oh, yeah, you have it so tough, Rick! White, male, and American. Your life must be so hard."

"You know what," Rick said, throwing up his hands. "I'm done. I'm not going to talk about this anymore."

"Of course you're not," Madeline spat, shoving her rifle pieces into her knapsack and throwing it over her shoulder.

"Maddie, where the hell are you going?"

"Out," she snarled, and slammed the door behind her.

"You're impossible!" she heard Rick scream from behind the door.

"Fuck you, Rick!" she shouted back before storming off.

She was absolutely furious. How dare he talk to her like that? He knew how her bosses treated her, how the patrons of the numerous bars, restaurants, and shops she'd worked at treated her – hell, he'd even stood up _for_ her a few times. Of course, she'd gotten fired then too, but he should have known that it wasn't her fault! Well, maybe _sometimes_ it was her fault. After all, she had little patience and a very quick temper that she needed to learn to control. But Rick hadn't exactly made her life easy. She didn't care what excuse he offered, the only reason he got into so many brawls was because he was angry, and he was bored. It was entertainment for him. She was so tired of cleaning up his messes. And furthermore….

Thud! Someone came around the corner and ran straight into her. Madeline dropped her bag and almost fell. "Damn it!" she exclaimed.

"Well, I'm sorry, little missy," a thick southern accent exclaimed. "Are you all right?"

"You're damn right you're sorry," Madeline grumbled, picking up her bag. "And who are you calling 'little missy'…."

She trailed off as she looked up at the man who'd almost knocked her down. Long blond hair, blue eyes, ruggedly handsome…. Shit. Every nasty thing she'd meant to say to him went flying out of her head and she felt herself transforming from fiery, feisty, and angry, to blithering idiot. Every time she met an attractive man, without fail, she became unbelievably stupid.

"Well, I am sorry," he said, smiling. Damn it. The smile completed Madeline's transformation.

"I'm Burt Henderson," he introduced himself, still grinning.

"Um…. I'm Madeline O'Connell," she managed to spit out.

"Well, Miss Madeline, how about I buy you a drink? You know, to make up for bumping into you like that."

"Oh, well, I…." Madeline trailed off, trying to decide what would be the appropriate answer to that question. On the one hand, he was gorgeous. On the other hand, she was an idiot. All right, but that didn't seem to bother him so much, so maybe the fact that he was gorgeous was more important. But then again, Rick always said that when a man offers to buy you a drink, he wants one thing and one thing only. So that would be bad…. Except accepting the drink would really piss Rick off, so maybe that was good, because she was still furious with Rick. But then, of course, she'd have to deal with what came ten drinks later, and she wasn't sure she wanted to…. Besides, she was so upset with Rick that once she was good and drunk, she'd probably start bawling about what a jackass her brother was, and that was not attractive. But if she could keep from getting drunk, then maybe…."

"Uh, miss?" Henderson interrupted her train of thought. "Are you all right?"

Madeline suddenly realized she's been standing there silently, trying to decide whether to accept the drink or not, for what must have been five minutes. Great, now she really did look like an idiot. And since she was probably going to keep looking like an idiot as long as she was in the attractive blond man's presence, she supposed that was her answer.

"Um… no thank you," Madeline replied. "I have to do something. Um… bye." And then she scampered away before she could make an even bigger ass out of herself.

* * *


	4. A Drink and a Moment

Tongue Tied

Rating: T

Disclaimer: I am not affiliated with the motion picture _The Mummy_. I wish I was, but sadly, I have no rights to anything. Please, please, _please_ don't sue me. I also have no money.

AN: And another big thank you goes out to my reviewers, AnckSuNamun, vampiremistress2sexy, and Lady Softball! Thanks you guys! And in response to AnckSuNamun's concerns, don't worry. Madeline has lots of weaknesses and lots of flaws, including some of the ones you suggested. I just haven't gotten to them all yet. Thanks!

* * *

Chapter 3: A Drink and a Moment

Madeline stormed onto the deck of the river boat. She was still mad at Rick, and now she was mad at herself for convincing the nice, attractive young man she ran into that she had 'special needs.' What she needed was a drink. Which, now that she thought about it, she could have had with the good-looking young man she ran into if she hadn't been a blithering moron.

Evelyn's brother, Jonathon Carnahan, was sitting alone at a table by the bar, nursing a drink of his own. He caught her eye and waved her over. Being unable to locate anywhere she could sit by herself, Madeline waved back and, rather reluctantly, took a seat beside Jonathon.

"Hello there, Maddie!" he grinned. "How are you enjoying our little boat ride?"

"Don't call me Maddie," Madeline griped.

Jonathon didn't look the least bit upset. "Okay, then," he said, taking a sip of his drink. Madeline decided he was already too drunk to take offense.

"What are you drinking there, Jonathon?" she asked.

"Bourbon and Scotch," he replied.

"Both at the same time? Impressive," Madeline said, clearly not meaning it.

Jonathon waved one of the wait staff over to the table. "And what will you be drinking this evening, Madeline?" he asked.

The server came to the table, looking at her expectantly. Thank god it was a woman, and not a gorgeous young man. "I just want a shot of whiskey," she said. "Any kind of whiskey, so long as it's strong."

"You got it," the server replied, disappearing.

"You know, I figured you for a hard liquor type of gal," Jonathon announced. "And I'm never wrong about these things, as you can see. I thought you'd be ordering something like that."

"You're a wonderful judge of character, Jonathon," Madeline replied, propping her elbow on the table and supporting her head with her hand.

The sun was sinking low over the Nile. Madeline sighed heavily. She supposed she better make up with Rick sometime soon.

"You look troubled, old girl," Jonathon observed, taking another drink. The waitress returned with Madeline's whiskey.

"I am troubled," Madeline replied. "But I'm certainly not old." And with that, she threw the shot down her throat, coughed very slightly as it burned its way to her stomach, and took a sip of water from one of the glasses already set out on the table.

Jonathon laughed. "See, I knew you were a hard liquor type girl," he said again. "I knew you'd take that shot like a man."

"Thank you, Jonathon, you esteem me very highly," Madeline returned.

"The get drunk quick type, I reckon."

"I'm not getting drunk, Jonathon, it was just one shot."

"One shot is only the beginning, old girl."

"Once again, Jonathon: I am not old."

He laughed again. "I suppose I'll have to watch my language around you." He took another sip. "Say, are you any good at cards? I've got a game going on here tonight: some real, rowdy American types."

"I don't gamble, Jonathon," she replied.

"Why not?"

"Well, it's hard to gamble when you've got nothing to put on the table."

Jonathon laughed. "Well, now, you're just confusing the whole business, aren't you? The whole point of gambling is to put down more than you have, because then you make more when the other chap loses!"

"And what happens when you're the chap that loses?"

"Ah, yes, well, in that case…" Jonathon took another sip, looking as though he spoke from experience. "That's where it helps to be a fast runner."

Madeline couldn't help herself. She laughed.

Jonathon flagged down the waitress. "Get this lovely young lady another shot of whiskey, if you please!"

The waitress nodded and disappeared. "I didn't ask for another shot, Jonathon," Madeline pointed out.

"Exactly. I just knew that you wanted one. I'm real good at that, it's like I've got a sixth sense or something."

"Well," Madeline admitted with a grin. "I wouldn't say you've got a sixth sense, but I did kind of want another one."

"See! I told you, didn't I? Know you better than you know yourself. Told you that you were the get drunk quick type."

"I'm not getting drunk, Jonathon," Madeline replied. "I told you already."

"Ah, yes, and I told you: one shot is only the beginning."

He had told her that, hadn't he? The waitress placed the second shot down in front of her and disappeared again. Madeline shrugged to herself and drank the whiskey down fast. The second drink went down a lot easier than the first, and she didn't even bother to reach for the water glass. One shot had become two, just like Jonathon had said. Well, imagine that. She supposed that better be her last shot for the night, or she'd be turning Jonathon into a philosopher.

A loud group of Americans approached the table. "Well, hello there, Carnahan," one announced. "Who's this pretty lady?"

"Oh, hello, Daniels," Jonathon replied in a friendly tone of voice. "This here is…."

Madeline turned on the speaker. Fortunately, the guy wasn't much to look at. "Leaving, that's what I am," she interrupted Jonathon.

"Oh, no, Maddie, come on and be a sport!" Jonathon exclaimed. "I'll teach you how to play!"

"I know how to play, Jonathon," Madeline replied. "I just don't want to."

Jonathon sighed. "Oh, well, have it your way."

"Good luck, Speedy," she smirked at him, giving him a punch in the shoulder. Jonathon laughed, as though the two had shared some kind of brilliant inside joke. Madeline wondered how long he'd been drinking before she sat down. She had almost escaped the table when she nearly ran right into the last man of the party still standing – only to find he was none other than Burt Henderson.

"Well, hello there, Miss Madeline," he grinned, pronouncing her name with a long I instead of a short one, although she was sure he knew very well that he was pronouncing it wrong.

"Oh," Madeline returned, feeling herself go stupid again. "Well, hello there."

"Didn't get a chance to buy you that drink I offered, did I?" he asked. "You ran off kind of quick there."

"Oh, yes, well, I, um…. Well, I had this thing… with the other thing… and I had to take care of it… and then… um…." Shut up, Madeline, she yelled at herself. Shut up, shut up, shut up!

"Well, how about I buy you that drink now?" Henderson offered.

"She likes whiskey," Jonathon intervened.

"What, you let him buy you drinks, and not me?" Henderson asked, pretending to be hurt. "Well, I'm just plain insulted. You're going to have to make that up to me."

"I don't…. really? You know, I don't really want anymore drinks. Not just from you. Not from anybody, actually." Madeline knew she sounded like an idiot, but she couldn't stop herself. "It's not _your_ drinks that I object to, it's all drinks. Not all the time, though, just right now. Any other time I would want a drink. From anybody. Or nobody. You know, if I bought my own drinks…. Yeah. Right." Madeline forced herself to stop talking and looked at the table behind her. No one but Jonathon was paying attention to her, but Jonathon was giving her an incredulous look that would have been very amusing if it weren't for the fact that it meant he thought she was an idiot. Great, now even Jonathon thought she was an idiot. Time to bail.

"Well, I'm not really sure what you're trying to say there, Miss Madeline, but I think I still want to buy you a drink," Henderson replied.

That was it. Rick was right. Men who offer to buy you drinks only want one thing, and one thing only. That's why he didn't care if she was an idiot: in fact, he'd prefer it if she was an idiot. Idiots were easier than smart girls…. Shit, shit, shit. All right, definitely bail.

"Sorry, got to go… still got that thing… with the other thing…" And then Madeline picked up her bag and ran off to a more quiet part of the boat.

* * *

It was difficult to figure out where to go now. Madeline couldn't go back to her room because she was still avoiding Rick, and now she had to flee the on-deck bar because it was currently the scene of her latest humiliation. She wandered the deck, sticking close to the rail, looking for somewhere to sit down. Finally, she found it: a tiny table pushed up against the rail, secluded from the bar area, and occupied by only one other person: Evelyn Carnahan.

She sat down heavily in the chair across from Evelyn, tossing her bag on the table. Evelyn, who'd been reading a book, jumped about ten feet in the air.

Madeline laughed. "Sorry, Miss Carnahan," she grinned. "Didn't intend on scaring you."

"Oh, no, that's all right," Evelyn assured her. "And really, you must call me Evie. Miss Carnahan sounds so stiff."

"All right," Madeline agreed. "Evie it is. And you should call me Madeline."

"I was planning on it," Evelyn said with a smile.

"What are you doing over here, all by your lonesome?" Madeline asked.

"Oh, I'm just reading up on Hamunaptra," Evelyn explained, a delicious grin spreading across her face. "You know, all the tall tales and legends and that sort of thing."

Madeline nodded. "You know, I'm not so sure all that stuff's just legend," she announced.

"You're not?" Evelyn asked.

"No. I mean, I've never been out that way, but Rick's told me some strange things…." Madeline trailed off. The smile on Evelyn's face told her that the young librarian had already dismissed the notion of anything supernatural being out at Hamunaptra.

"Oh, now, really, I doubt there's anything to it," she tutted. "I mean, way out in the desert like that, closed off from civilization, it's only reasonable that people would create things in their mind that simply aren't there."

"So you think it's all up here?" Madeline asked, giving her temple a tap.

"Well, I'm sure of it," Evelyn replied. "I don't think there's anything out there but history, Madeline, and I intend on finding it."

Madeline stared at the small wisp of a librarian, who looked rather fragile to be honest, but who seemed undeterred by any threat, no matter how dangerous. So she was intent on finding history out at Hamunaptra, not treasure. The strange thing was, if anyone else had said that, Madeline wouldn't have believed them for a second. For example, she was damn sure the only thing Jonathon was thinking of finding out in the desert was treasure. But the way Evelyn Carnahan spoke of uncovering history, with the strangest glint in her eyes, and her voice quivering with passion, was more than enough to make a believer out of Madeline. History was this woman's one great love, and she would be faithful to it until the end.

Madeline smiled softly, looking out at the river. Suddenly, she was glad to be headed out to Hamunaptra. You just didn't meet women like Evelyn Carnahan everyday.

"Well, what about you?" Evelyn asked suddenly. "What are you doing all the way over here?"

Madeline shrugged. "Oh, it was just too damn noisy at the bar over there, and your brother was hell bent on pouring whiskey down my throat. I didn't mind at first, but I have my limits. At least, I do tonight. Saw you over here, and thought I'd try some civilized company for a change."

"Well, don't mind me asking, I do enjoy your company," Evelyn was quick to say. Madeline wasn't sure she believed her. "But why didn't you go find your brother?"

Madeline rolled her eyes. "I said civilized company."

Evelyn smiled. "I see you aren't getting along with Mr. O'Connell."

"I rarely get along with Mr. O'Connell," Madeline returned, jokingly. "He's a pain in my ass."

"I got the impression you were rather fond of him."

"Oh, I'm very fond of him," Madeline said. "But that doesn't make him any less a pain in my ass."

Evelyn smiled. "He does seem to be rather difficult, I'd imagine."

"Difficult? He's impossible! But he's my brother, and so I have to love him," Madeline admitted.

Evelyn smiled again. "I believe we have something in common, Madeline."

Madeline grinned at her.

The bonding experience, however, was short lived. Madeline saw Rick approaching the small table, and she quickly leapt to her feet, grabbing her knapsack. "Well, I've had a good chat," she said. "But I'd better get some sleep."

"All right, good night then!" Evelyn called, returning to her book immediately. It was clear that while Evelyn might not mind her company, the company of her book was much preferred.

Madeline stormed past her older brother, blatantly ignoring him. Rick laughed, clearly no longer upset about their fight. "You love me!" he called after her.

"Only because I have to!" she called back, not bothering to stop walking.

Great. Madeline was furious with herself again. She'd engaged in banter with her brother. They were officially no longer fighting. Stupid Rick. He'd tricked her.

She dodged around the bar, ducked back inside, and began the trek back to her room. Rick had told her that the trip to Hamunaptra was probably going to be unpleasant, but it was only the first day, and already things were going south. First, she'd had an unbelievable shouting match with her brother – the worse thing being that she could no longer remember exactly how it started – and then she'd met an attractive guy who now thought she was an idiot. Getting along with Jonathon had turned out to be quite easy, and Madeline had just started to think that maybe she was finally going to make a friend for the first time in her entire life, and then Henderson showed up, and now even Jonathon was sure she was an idiot. And then, she'd almost had a bonding moment with Evelyn, which was nice, but she suspected Evelyn thought she was rather silly and superstitious – and ironically, that wasn't even close to true. Well, maybe the silly part, but certainly not the superstitious part. So, in summary, three people now thought she was an idiot. Fantastic.

Plus, she was still mad at her brother, even if she couldn't remember what had provoked their argument, and she had just accidentally made up with him.

She had barely opened the door to her room when she heard a loud commotion coming from up on deck. It sounded vaguely like explosions and screaming.

Great, Madeline thought to herself. The perfect end to a perfect day.

* * *


	5. A Battle on a Boat

Tongue Tied

Rating: T

Disclaimer: I am not affiliated with the motion picture _The Mummy_. I wish I was, but sadly, I have no rights to anything. Please, please, _please_ don't sue me. I also have no money.

AN: Thank yous go out to my reviewers, vampiremistress2sexy and Lady Softball! Thanks for reading and reviewing!

* * *

Chapter 4: A Battle on a Boat

The noise and confusion coming from the deck was still audible, and Madeline could hear the passengers starting to panic. People were screaming, guns were going off, horses were whining, and she could vaguely smell smoke – hopefully, gun smoke. Madeline reached into her knapsack and pulled out both her pistols, hurriedly loading them as she stood in the empty hall. As soon as her guns were ready to go, she strapped her bag firmly on her shoulder and moved quickly down the corridor. She went up a flight of stairs and decided to pass the Carnahan suite just in case either of the siblings had gone to their rooms.

The closer she got to the suite, the easier it was to hear the crackling of flames. Great, Madeline thought to herself. Something's on fire. I'm going to burn to death. Or, this tub's going to sink, and I'm going to drown in the flipping Nile!

She was about to turn the corner, when a blur of white, scented with a hint of alcohol, came flying past her and raced towards the Carnahan suite. "Evie!" the white blur called out.

Jonathon, Madeline realized. The blur was Jonathon. She made to follow him, and then heard him scream like a little girl.

Madeline raced to the door of the suite. "Jonathon!" she exclaimed.

Jonathon screamed again, and then caught sight of her face. "Oh, heavens, it's only you," he breathed in relief.

Then Madeline heard a loud, furious roar, and turned to see a very angry, black robed man, who happened to be on fire, racing at her and waving some sort of hooked knife.

"Oh, shit!" Madeline shouted, wide eyed and shocked, as she shoved Jonathon to the side. Barely dodging the knife, she hit the ground and rolled uncontrollably, hitting the flaming sofa. The man raced at her again, and Madeline rolled at his legs, tripping him, and sending him flying into the couch-fueled fire. As he fell, Rick's souvenir from Hamunaptra dropped from his hands and hit the ground. Jonathon, though incredibly freaked out, didn't hesitate to leap forward and retrieve the trinket, tucking it hastily in his jacket.

Madeline stumbled to her feet as he did this. "What are you still doing here?" she shouted at Jonathon, who was now simply staring at both her and the flaming desert man. "Run!"

Jonathon didn't have to be told twice. He ran, and Madeline followed, close on his heels.

They made it on deck, where they were immediately assaulted by another black-robed man, who, thankfully, was not on fire. "Take the girl!" Jonathon shouted, ducking behind Madeline.

Madeline only shot once. She didn't believe in wasting ammunition. The bullet sailed right through the man's forehead, and he dropped dead to the deck, landing hard on his face.

"Bloody good shot!" Jonathon cried, coming out from behind her.

"Hey, you just tried to sacrifice me," Madeline retorted, glaring at him – although, she wasn't nearly as angry as she ought to be. "You don't think a compliment's going to change things now?"

Beside them, the Americans had taken cover behind an overturned table, and were not only shooting the hell out of the attacking desert men, but whooping and screaming in enthusiasm on top of it. One such whooping American was Burt Henderson.

Now, Madeline _did_ enjoy shooting things, she wasn't going to lie, but this was just plain ridiculous. Any previous attraction she might have had to the blond Southerner vanished.

"Americans," Jonathon exclaimed in disgust. Then he shot a nervous, guilty glance at Madeline. "Saving present company, of course."

Madeline glowered at him. "Thanks, Jonathon," she replied. "I'm touched."

Jonathon answered with another girly scream. Madeline swung around to see the black robed man from the Carnahan suite racing towards them again – and he was _still_ on fire! "What the fuck?" Madeline shouted. "Why won't he die?"

"Shoot him! Shoot him, shoot him, shoot him!" Jonathon half squealed, jumping up and down in panic.

Madeline opened fire. One bullet in the forehead, and the flaming mass of black robes fell to the deck.

"Another bloody good shot! Splendidly done, old girl!" Jonathon exclaimed, clapping her on the shoulder. "And did I panic?"

"Yes," Madeline retorted, cutting him off. "I sure hope you can swim, Jonathon."

"I most certainly can," Jonathon announced proudly.

"Then swim!" Madeline shouted, shoving Jonathon towards the rail.

"All right, all right, I'm going," Jonathon replied, hoisting himself up and over the rail, and disappearing into the waves below.

Madeline made to go after him. As she approached the rail, she saw Rick and Evelyn, unfortunately along with the warden, also in the river, approaching the opposite bank. Madeline was relieved, she really was, but she'd be even more relieved when she was in the river with them. She grabbed the rail in preparation to hoist herself over it, but her effort was cut short when a long, jagged sword sliced the air beside her ear and sunk itself deep into the wooden railing, narrowly missing her hand.

Madeline swung around, her gun ready to fire, but the sword was lifted out of the rail so fast the air around it sung, and the blade whipped by her face, far too close for comfort, knocking the pistol from her hand.

Before she could aim the second pistol, the sword came crashing down at her face, and Madeline instinctively brought up the pistol to block it. The sword and the pistol meshed, and their owners forced them against one another, their arms shaking with the effort.

Madeline stared, for lack of a better term, gaga eyed. The man before her had tattoos on his face and wore black robes and a black turban just like his comrades, but there was one major difference between him and his buddies – he was gorgeous. Madeline realized it was a testament to her stupidity that she was allowing herself to get sidetracked by an extremely handsome man with big brown eyes when that same handsome man was attempting to kill her, but Madeline never said she was smart. And he was more than attractive.

Oh, no, Madeline thought to herself. Oh no, oh crap. She could feel all the thoughts dripping slowly out of her head. The idiot was taking over. Oh no, this couldn't be happening. Not right now. She was going to die!

Madeline forced herself to act intelligently. With a mighty push, and enough effort to strain the hell out of her shoulder, she managed to knock the man's sword away. He reacted quickly though, and before Madeline had recovered from the effort it had taken to push him off, he brought the sword back down at her head.

But Madeline was smarter this time, and instead of blocking his sword, she ducked, hitting the deck, and rolled over to the side, picking up her lost pistol and bounding to her feet. She aimed her pistols directly at the man, just as the point of his sword came to rest on her throat.

They had reached an impasse. Either way Madeline looked at it, they were both going to die. She supposed her opponent had drawn the same conclusion, because he, too, was not acting. Madeline wanted to shoot him, really she did, but if he fell forward, that sword was going through her neck. And if he stabbed her, he must know that she wasn't going to die fast enough to prevent him getting shot.

They stared at one another for what felt like ages. Then a loud crash, a small explosion, and the sudden far too close crackling of flames caught both their attentions. Even the Americans were evacuating now. "I… uh… think this ship's going to blow," Madeline announced. "Up, that is."

The man nodded. "Obviously," he said in a thick accent, his tone slightly sarcastic.

Great. She had her freaking guns pointed at the guy, and he still thought she was an idiot. "We should get off," she continued.

"I agree," he replied.

Madeline thought for a moment, and then asked, "Truce?"

"Truce?" the man inquired.

"Ceasefire," she said by way of explanation.

"Ah," the man nodded, understanding. "Yes."

"Great," Madeline replied, slowly lowering her pistols. Also slowly, the man drew his sword back towards himself.

He nodded at her. "Another time."

"Yeah, sure," Madeline returned, only half meaning it. "I'll kill you later." And then she raced to the side of the ship, with him close behind her. The two of them leapt over the rail, hitting the water only moments before the ship exploded.

Madeline broke the swirling surface of the water, gasping for air. "I'll kill you later?" she exclaimed into the night, although no one heard her over the river. "Who the hell do I think I am, Zorro? God, I am such an idiot!"

After marveling at herself for a moment, Madeline realized that she was in the middle of the Nile – and, as she recalled, crocodiles live in the Nile. With sudden speed and energy, she swam for shore. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw about five men in black robes, including the one that had caused her to drool, swimming for the opposite shore. In all the confusion, she was pretty sure no one else saw them, and they slipped unnoticed into the reeds.

Madeline wondered if she ought to say something, but decided not to. She'd agreed to a ceasefire, and that's what she was going to give that man – and she was doing it out of honor, not because she was an idiot, and he was good-looking. And that was exactly what she was just going to have to keep telling herself.

"Maddie!" she heard Rick call as she dragged herself out of the water and waded onto the shore where her party was assembled. "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine," Madeline grumbled. She stopped in front of Rick. For a moment, they stared at one another like they were going to hug or something, but finally, they settled for punching one another in the arm. Rick smiled, and Madeline smiled back. After all, she'd almost died. There was really no reason to keep fighting with Rick. They had more important things to worry about.

"Everything's gone," Evelyn was saying, sounding terribly upset. "We've lost all our equipment, all my clothes…."

Madeline noticed Evelyn was only wearing a night gown. Poor thing, she thought.

"Hey O'Connell!" a heavily accented voice screamed across the river. Everyone looked up to see a thin, rat-faced man waving insanely at them while all the rest of his party was trying to round up their panicking animals. "Looks like I got all the horses!"

"Hey Beni!" Rick shouted back in mockery. "Looks like you're on the wrong side of the river!"

The other man's face fell. He looked around, realized Rick was right, and gave the water a good kick, cussing under his breath.

"Here," Madeline said to Evelyn, shrugging out of her jacket. "It's wet, but it'll cover you up."

"Oh, thank you," Evelyn said, smiling gratefully. She put the sopping jacket on around her shoulders. Madeline was astounded – and quite frankly, slightly envious – to see that the jacket was at least one size too big for Evelyn, probably two. In fact, in a jacket that fit Madeline's arms almost perfectly, Evelyn's arms were fairly drowning in the sleeves! Madeline stared down at her rather muscular arms. Crap, she thought to herself. I think I'm officially a man.

"What are you looking at?"

Madeline jumped at her older brother's voice. "Nothing," she said quickly. Somehow, she didn't think her brother would understand what was going through her head right now. "Who was that idiot on the other side of the river?"

"Oh, that?" Rick grinned painfully. "That was Beni. He's an old friend."

"Beni?" Madeline asked. "Isn't that the name of the guy who screwed you over the last time you went to Hamunaptra?"

"Precisely."

"Oh," Madeline crinkled her nose. "What the hell is he doing here?"

"He's leading the good old boys out to Hamunaptra," Rick announced. "We're going to have some company. Make that, a lot of company."

* * *


	6. A Trip to the Desert

Tongue Tied

Rating: T

Disclaimer: I am not affiliated with the motion picture _The Mummy_. I wish I was, but sadly, I have no rights to anything. Please, please, _please_ don't sue me. I also have no money.

AN: Wow, thanks to all my reviewers! I feel like there were a lot of you this time. So, big thank you to Lady Softball, vampiremistress2sexy, Evanesce, Mariella D'Angelo, Lindsay, and OceanFae!

* * *

Chapter 5: A Trip to the Desert 

Madeline blinked in the sunlight as she stepped out of the tent her and Evie had spent the night in. Fortunately, they had come across the small village the night before, and being welcomed in the typical hospitable fashion, they had all managed to procure a place to spend the night. Inside the tent, Evelyn had become something of a doll, and all the women living there had decided to pretty her up in native's clothing. Madeline, sensing danger, decided to hightail it out of there before she received the same treatment. However, she had to admit that the likelihood of those women wanting to dress her up as a doll was almost non-existent. Evelyn was beautiful, like a doll. Madeline on the other hand, she thought grumpily to herself, might as well be a man. She doubted anyone would_ ever_ want to dress _her_ up like a doll.

Thinking these bitter thoughts, Madeline looked around, seeing first the warden being chased out of a tent by some very angry women, and then her brother and Jonathon across the way, attempting to buy some camels.

Madeline decided to head that way. As she approached, Jonathon began jumping up and down, yelling "Five! Five, I only want five! Five!" He turned to Rick. "Can you believe this?"

"Will you just pay the man?" Rick exclaimed in reply.

Jonathon sighed in exasperation. "Fine," he grumbled, dishing out the desired amount of money. "I can't believe the price of these fleabags."

"Well, we probably could have gotten them for free," Rick replied. "All we had to do was give them your sister."

"I better have misheard you, Rick O'Connell," Madeline announced, finally reaching them. "Or my duty to womankind demands that I kick your ass."

Rick grinned at his baby sister. "Yeah, that's going to happen," was his sarcastic reply.

"Yes, well," Jonathon said. "It was awfully tempting, wasn't it?"

Madeline raised her eyebrow at him. "Excuse you?"

"Yeah," Rick murmured. "Awfully."

Madeline turned to him again, about ready to tell him off a second time, until she saw what he was gawking at. Evelyn had come out of the tent while she wasn't looking, and the women they'd stayed with had done their job well. She was dressed in a sheer black dress, with a sheer black scarf covering the bottom half of her face, and her long, dark wavy hair was flowing down her back, clipped away from her face in just the right manner. She looked absolutely stunning. And Rick looked absolutely stupid.

A slight smile played around Madeline's lips. It seemed her brother had a little crush on Miss Evelyn Carnahan. And she was sure going to enjoy watching Rick act like the idiot for a change.

"Well, I think we best be off," Jonathon announced. "Everybody? Where's the bloody warden?"

"Right here," the warden spoke up, appearing by Madeline's arm. She gagged. If possible, he smelled even worse that day than he ever had before.

"What do you eat, man?" she asked.

The warden ignored her. "Are we leaving?" he asked.

"Yeah," Rick replied. "Let's go."

The warden clambered onto his camel. Jonathon began attempting to convince his camel to come down to his level, while Rick helped Evelyn get on hers. She was all giggles, and he couldn't keep a big, dumb, puppy dog grin off his face. It was, for lack of a better word, adorable.

Madeline sighed, and frowned at her camel. How the hell was she going to get on this goddamn thing?

"Uh…. down, boy?" she tried awkwardly, tugging on its lead. The camel just stared at her. "Please?"

Loud, almost hysterical laughter sounded in her ear. Madeline turned around to see her dear older brother laughing his ass off at her expense. She glared at him.

"Ha. Ha," she spat. "Now, if you're done pissing yourself over there, how about you do something useful and help me get on the damn camel, eh?"

"You know," Rick announced, enjoying himself far too much to ease up so soon. "Explain to me how exactly you can live practically your whole life in Egypt, and yet you've never rode a camel before?"

"Because you're an asshole, that's why," Madeline retorted. "Are you going to help me or not?"

Rick sighed. "I suppose I have to," he said, sounding as though he bore the heaviest burden in the world. He got the camel to lie down in the sand, and then helped his sister get on its back. A slap to the rear, and the camel stood.

"Oh, shit!" Madeline exclaimed. "What the fuck?"

Rick laughed again. "Scare you, Maddie?"

Madeline glared at him. "I told you not to call me that!"

"Sorry, sorry," he waved off her protest. Then he frowned at her, showing the affection that really did exist, somewhere deep, _deep _beneath the bickering. "Are you going to be all right on that thing?"

Madeline was frowning down at the beast beneath her. "I think I got it, Rick."

"Are you sure? Because…."

"I've got it, Rick!"

"Really? Cause I don't think you do."

"No. She definitely does not," the warden announced, snorting in amusement.

Madeline's eyes narrowed and she swung the riding crop out, smacking the warden in the face. He nearly fell off his camel. "Hey! Watch where you're swinging that thing!"

"Sorry!" Madeline replied, fake as can be. "You'll have to excuse me; I don't know what I'm doing."

The warden humphed, and then rode out of arm's reach. "Now, Madeline, I want you to be totally honest with me," Rick said. "Can you handle the camel?"

"I can handle the goddamn camel, Rick!" Madeline half shouted. Her outburst spooked the camel, and it made a loud noise, moving around slightly. Madeline jumped about half a foot in the air and nearly fell off her camel. "What the hell are you doing, you stupid animal?"

"Ok, see, now this is exactly what I'm talking about," Rick said.

"Get on your camel and start… guiding, Mister," Madeline groused.

Rick followed orders, shaking his head, and got onto his own camel. The animal rose off the ground and Rick waved his hand at the other travelers, starting off.

Madeline stared at the crop in her hand, and patted the camel with it. Absolutely no response. She tried again, this time a little harder, and with a bit of a yell. The camel began plodding off with the rest of the group. She breathed a sigh of relief – after, of course, her initial yelp of surprise and near fall from the animal's back.

Stupid camels. She hated camels. She especially hated riding camels. This was going to be a long trip.

* * *

After nearly two days of riding through the desert, the good news was that Madeline finally knew how to ride a camel. Unfortunately, she was still absolutely terrible at it. 

It was dark, and everyone except Madeline and Rick were sleeping on their camels. Rick was at the head of the group, and Madeline was taking up the rear. Hesitatingly, she gave her a camel a little prod. The beast sped up – a little too much for Madeline's taste, and she gave a small gasp. She came up by Rick, whose shoulder had become a support for Evelyn's head. Madeline watched as Rick steadied the sleeping woman and hushed her camel. "Now that's sweet," she said.

Rick jumped. "What the hell, Madeline?"

"Sorry," she whispered. Her camel was now pulling ahead of Rick's and she gave the lead a little tug to slow it down. The camel stopped suddenly and Madeline, taken by surprise, nearly went flying over the animal's head. "Damn it!"

"When are you going to learn how to ride that thing?" Rick asked.

"Shut up," Madeline grumbled, concentrating on getting the camel to move again. She succeeded and turned to Rick. "Looks like someone has a crush on our little librarian friend."

"You know, shouldn't you be asleep?" Rick replied, ignoring her comment.

"Shouldn't you?" Madeline retorted.

"No," Rick said. "I'm the guide. I have to stay awake."

"Well," Madeline returned, "I am the guide's assistant."

"No you're not."

"Yes I am."

"Just go to sleep, Maddie."

"I can't," she snapped.

"You can't sleep?"

"No."

"You've got to be tired."

"Well, I am, but I can't sleep on this damn camel! It's too… bumpy."

"Bumpy?"

"You know, it keeps… bouncing me around."

"You're too picky."

"I am not!"

"Are too!"

"I'm not too picky; the camel is just too bumpy."

"You're afraid of the camel, aren't you?"

"No," Madeline retorted. "I am not afraid of the camel, I am afraid of falling off of the camel."

"Same thing."

"No, it's not, it is entirely different."

Rick didn't reply. Madeline frowned at him. He was staring off past her face, very distracted. "What is wrong with you?" she asked.

Rick poked her cheek with his finger, directing her face to look in the direction he was staring in. Madeline saw them now too. In the distance, over looking the desert from a high ridge, the silhouettes of several dark robed men sat on horses, staring right at them.

"Are those our friends from the boat?" Madeline asked.

"Yeah," Rick agreed. "I think they are."

"Fantastic," Madeline sighed.

* * *

The sun was beginning to rise. Coming in the opposite direction of Madeline's little group was a much larger assembly, with Rick's old pal Beni in the lead. The two parties stopped beside one another, both Rick and Beni staring out at the sunrise. 

"What the hell are we doing?" Daniels cried out.

"Patience, my good friend, patience," Beni murmured.

"Remember our bet, O'Connell," Henderson called over to Rick, his mouth full of tobacco. "First one to the city. Five hundred cash dollars."

"One hundred of those is yours if you help us win," Daniels told Beni.

"Thank you, my friend," Beni replied.

Madeline shot her brother a dirty look. "Did you bet those people over there five hundred dollars that we'd get there first?" she exclaimed as quietly as she could.

"No!" Rick protested. "They bet me."

"But you accepted."

Rick looked away. "Maybe."

"Rick! We don't have five hundred dollars," she hissed. "Hell, we don't even have five dollars!"

"Just shut up, and let me handle this," Rick said through his teeth.

"Oh, because you've done a bang up job so far," Madeline grumbled. She was beyond irritation now. They were going to have to race those stupid Americans all the way to the city – and Madeline could barely keep her seat on the camel while it was standing still.

"What's going on?" Evie asked.

"Wait for it," Rick replied.

"Wait for what?"

"We're about to be shown the way."

Suddenly, as the sun appeared in it's entirety above the horizon, the air around it shimmered, and where there was once nothing but sand, suddenly there was a large, round, stadium-like, rock wall in the distance.

"Wow," Henderson breathed.

"Can you believe it?" Daniels wondered.

"Hamunpatra," their bespectacled friend grinned. Madeline thought she remembered Jonathan calling him Burns.

"Here we go again," Rick said from beside her.

All of a sudden, they were off. Rick and Beni were racing, neck and neck, pulling ahead of the rest of the pack, each desperate to get to the city first. Madeline, on the other hand, was racing nowhere. She was standing stock still, and yet she nearly fell off her camel as all the other camels whizzed past her. What the hell was she supposed to do now?

Sighing, Madeline gave her camel a smack and a yell, and joined the race. The camel took off like it was being chased by rabid dogs. Madeline yelped, nearly fell off her camel, and then found herself clinging to its neck, trying to stay on. However, deep down she knew it was a lost cause. Slowly but surely, she was sliding off her seat.

Up ahead, she heard Beni give a yell, and looked up to see Rick tossing the man off his camel, and then nearly trampling the poor bastard when he hit the ground. Evelyn passed by Beni, and was soon neck and neck with Rick. Then, suddenly, she pulled ahead of him, and was racing towards Hamunaptra.

"Whoo!" Jonathan screamed. "Go, Evie, Go!"

Great, Madeline thought. She wasn't at the end of the group, but that was because she'd hit her camel too hard, and now she was pretty sure she had no control over the stupid animal. She gripped the beast tightly, trying desperately to stay on.

The camel raced along, and Madeline began to lose her grip. "Oh no," she said to herself. "Oh no, oh crap, oh no, oh crap…. Shit!!"

Madeline slid right off her camel, hit the ground, and rolled to a stop, facedown in the sand. Her camel kept going. Sighing, Madeline rolled over on her back, spitting sand out of her mouth, and stared up at the sky.

"Ow," she said.

Jonathan's face appeared over hers. He, the stupid git, was still sitting on top of his camel, looking comfy as can be. "Are you all right?" he called down to her.

"I'm fine," Madeline grumbled.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm fine!" Madeline shouted up at him. "Leave me alone!"

"Well, I can't leave you alone," Jonathan reasoned. "What if you broke your leg?"

"I didn't break my leg! Now, can you leave me alone?"

"You know, I'm attempting to be considerate here!" Jonathan retorted. "It's not something I do very often, so you could at least pretend to be grateful!"

Madeline rolled her eyes, and got to her feet – painfully. "All right," she said, forcing a grin. "I'm clearly fine. Thank you for your concern."

"Do you want me to go round up your camel?"

"No!" Madeline exclaimed, rather too forcefully. "No, I'm fine! I'll walk, thank you."

"All right then," Jonathan said, and then he gave his camel a smack and rode off.

Madeline sighed. Even the stragglers were passing her now. She walked toward Hamunaptra, rubbing her hip. "That's going to bruise," she said to herself.

Hamunaptra. The scene of her latest humiliation. This could only get worse from here on out.

* * *


	7. A Standoff and a Sarcophagus

Tongue Tied

Rating: T

Disclaimer: I am not affiliated with the motion picture _The Mummy_. I wish I was, but sadly, I have no rights to anything. Please, please, _please_ don't sue me. I also have no money.

AN: Big thank yous to all my reviewers! Thanks to ForgottenStars, Lady Softball, vampiremistress2sexy, Evanesce, and OceanFae. Please keep reading and reviewing!

* * *

Chapter 6: A Standoff and a Sarcophagus

After a humiliating reunion with her traveling companions, Madeline found herself suddenly left in charge of securing the ropes that would lower them down into the tomb – while Evelyn and Jonathan began cleaning off some old mirrors that had been lying around the entrance. Rick, having tied the ropes down to a pillar, left the rest of the job to her, and Madeline took over where he left off. After engaging in this work for a few moments, she happened to look up and see Rick presenting Evelyn with a gift.

"Uh, here," she heard him say. "This is for, uh… you."

Evelyn stared blankly at the deerskin bundle he was handing her.

"It's a little something I borrowed off our American brethren," he babbled on. "I thought you might like it… might need it for when you're… uh, when you're down… yeah." Madeline watched her brother kind of stumble away from Evelyn, embarrassed. "What are you looking at?" he snarled at the warden.

Well, she'd be damned. Her brother had never been one to stumble all over himself in front of a pretty woman – he'd always been a bit of a charmer. The stupid idiot act had always been Madeline's and Madeline's alone to cherish. This could mean only one thing: her brother really liked Evelyn Carnahan. More than he'd ever liked anyone. Madeline was amazed.

Rick came up to her and snatched the rope out of her hand, preparing to drop down into the tomb. "Did you buy your little girlfriend a gift?" Madeline asked teasingly. She respected the fact that her brother had real feelings, but real feelings or no, she just wouldn't be doing her duty as a little sister if she didn't rag on him.

"Shut up," he snapped. "I didn't buy anything – I stole it."

"Awww, that's so romantic," Madeline teased him further.

"I'm going to kick your ass, kid," Rick replied.

Madeline responded very maturely. She made kissing noises.

Rick rolled his eyes, punched her in the shoulder, and dropped down into the tomb. "Check for bugs," the warden called. "I hate bugs."

Evelyn approached them as Rick disappeared into the darkness below. "Well, what are we waiting for?" she asked, grabbing a hold of the rope. "Let's go dig up some history."

She was grinning with excitement. Madeline couldn't help but smile at her enthusiasm. Evie dropped down into the tomb after Rick.

Madeline shrugged and followed her. It was quite dark down there. She nearly fell down when she landed, but fortunately no one was paying her any mind. Rick and Evie were looking around them, standing much closer than they needed to be.

"Do you realize we're standing in a room that no one has entered for over three thousand years?" Evelyn was saying.

Jonathan dropped down beside Madeline. "What is that god-awful stench?" he exclaimed into the stillness.

The warden dropped down next to them. "Oh," Jonathan said, realizing at once where the smell was coming from.

Evelyn had walked over to another old, dirty mirror that was standing nearby. "And then there was light," she announced, adjusting the mirror and knocking away the cobwebs clinging to it.

Suddenly, sunlight bounced off the mirror, and then reflected off another mirror Madeline hadn't even realized was there. The beam bounced off several hidden mirrors, and suddenly the room was filled with light.

"Hey," Rick said. "That is a neat trick."

"Oh my God," Evelyn murmured. "It's a sah-net-jer."

"A what now?" Madeline asked, deciding to join the conversation.

"A preparation room," Evelyn clarified.

"Preparation for what?" Rick inquired.

"For entering the afterlife," she replied spookily.

Madeline smiled slightly. She was really starting to like this girl.

"Mummies, my son," Jonathan explained, seeing that Rick still looked confused. "This is where they made the mummies."

The three walked ahead of Madeline and the warden. She wrinkled her nose. Jonathan was right: the stench radiating off of him was god-awful. "Seriously," Madeline said as the group made its way out of the preparation room and into a narrow corridor with a very low ceiling. "You really need to invest in a bar of soap."

"And you really need to invest in some riding lessons," the smelly man replied. "That fall off your camel? Most graceful thing I have ever seen."

"Yeah, well, I'd rather be clumsy than stinky," Madeline retorted.

"At least I still have my dignity!"

"No, you don't!"

"Will you two shut up back there?" Rick called over his shoulder.

Both of them grumbled and shot one another dirty looks, but they still fell silent. Rick had pulled one of his pistols out and was walking ahead of the rest of them, torch in one hand, gun at the ready in the other. Madeline couldn't help but wonder what exactly her brother thought he was going to have to shoot down there.

Suddenly, loud skittering was heard all around them. The whole party looked back and forth, swinging their torches about, trying to figure out what the noise was and where it was coming from. It seemed to be coming from above them.

As suddenly as it had started, the noise died away. "What was that?" Jonathan asked.

"Sounds like… bugs," Rick replied thoughtfully.

"He said bugs," Evelyn hissed at the rest of them.

"What do you mean bugs?" the warden exclaimed. "I hate bugs!"

"Well don't look now, but there's one coming for you," Madeline replied, following the others, who had started walking again.

"Ha!" the warden shot back. "Like I'm going to fall for that!"

Despite this comment, Madeline saw him checking around for the aforementioned attacking insect out of the corner of her eye.

The small group turned a corner and came out of the cramped hall into a large room, with the base of a very large statue before them. All that was visible were the legs and feet of the statue – the rest of it disappeared into the ceiling.

"The legs of Anubis," Evelyn announced. "The secret compartment containing the golden book of Amun-Re should be hidden somewhere inside here."

Madeline had heard her talk about this famous book before. At least, Evelyn said it was famous. Madeline had never heard of it in her life.

As they all approached the statue's base, distant moaning could be heard. It continued coming closer and closer. The whole party threw themselves up against the base of the statue. Rick handed his torch over to Evie and pulled out his other gun. Madeline reached into her holsters and pulled out her own pistols. On either side of her, Jonathan and the warden also drew guns.

The four of them spun around the corner of the statue, guns drawn. They found themselves facing about fifteen men, almost all of whom had guns pointed back at them, and who looked every bit as scared as they felt. It was the American dig team.

"You scared the bejesus out of us, O'Connell," Henderson announced.

"Likewise," Rick replied.

All of them lowered their guns. "Hey," Burns exclaimed, stepping towards Evie, who was standing back behind her four armed companions. "That's my tool kit."

"No," Rick replied, pointing his guns at him. Madeline, Jonathan, and the warden took that as a cue to do the same. "I don't think so."

The Americans aimed their guns back at their four competitors. "Perhaps I was mistaken," Burns said, backing off.

Evelyn attempted to take control of the situation. "Well, have a nice day gentlemen, we have a lot of work to be getting along with."

"Push off!" the other crew's snooty Egyptologist shouted at her. "This is our dig site!"

Madeline's eyes narrowed. She decided she didn't particularly care for this asshole.

Evelyn was not to be intimidated, however, and Madeline found herself liking the archeologist even more for that. "We got here first," she growled back.

The guns came out again. "This here is our statue, friend," Daniels snarled, ironically sounding the exact opposite of friendly.

"I don't see your name written on it, pal," Rick snarled back.

"Yes, well," Beni spoke up. "There is only five of you, and fifteen of me. Your odds are not so great, O'Connell."

"I've had worse," was Rick's reply.

"Yeah, me too," Jonathan added.

Rick looked at Jonathan like he had lost his mind. Madeline, on the other hand, decided she didn't exactly like Beni's attitude. Suddenly, she stomped down hard on his foot.

Beni screamed, and fell to the ground, grabbing a hold of his injured foot. Everyone else jumped and began pointing their guns every which way. "Well, Rick," Madeline announced. "If these assholes really are fifteen of Beni over here, I think we got a shot."

As usual, Madeline had made things worse, and she knew it. But in all honesty, she didn't give a damn. She hated being pushed around, and she hated these jackasses from America. They walked around like they were God's gift to the earth, and everything they stumbled upon belonged to them. Nothing would give her greater pleasure than to fill a few of them with bullet holes and knock them down off their high horse.

However, the situation never escalated to that point. Once again, Evelyn took charge. "Oh, for goodness sake," she said, stepping forward and pushing down everyone's guns. "Let's be nice, children. If we're going to play together, we must learn to share." She turned to Rick and gave him an imploring look, trying to push his arm down. "There are other places to dig."

Madeline frowned. Like where, she wanted to ask. But if she had learned anything from the time she'd spent with the British woman, it was that Evelyn was smart, and she knew what she was doing. Since Madeline was often the exact opposite of smart, and almost never knew what she was doing, she decided to shut up for once, and follow Evie's lead.

To her surprise, Rick also listened to Evie. He slowly lowered his gun and gave her a very strange look, a look Madeline didn't quite understand and had never seen him give anybody before. This adventure had brought out all kinds of strange things in her brother that Madeline was having a hard time accepting.

They say that a bad boy can always be reformed by a good woman. Madeline had always said that was hog shit, but as she watched her brother calm down and act sensibly for a change, she began to believe it. Who would have thought that the person to reform her brother was nerdy Evelyn Carnahan?

Madeline knew it was immature to think, but she couldn't help but wonder why her brother listened to Evelyn, and he had never listened to her.

* * *

Minutes after the scene with the Americans at the base of Anubis, Madeline found herself standing on top of some weird looking statuette and swinging a pickax at the ceiling above her. Beside her, Rick, Evelyn, and Jonathan were doing the same thing.

"According to these hieroglyphics," Evelyn was saying. "We're underneath the statue of Anubis. We should come up right between his legs."

Madeline snorted with laughter at this. Everyone ignored her.

"When those damn Yanks go to sleep – no offense," Jonathan announced.

"None taken," Rick and Madeline said at the same time.

"We'll dig our way up and steal that book right out from under them," Jonathan finished.

"Are you sure we can find this secret compartment thing?" Rick asked skeptically.

"Oh, yes, if those beastly Americans haven't beaten us to it," Evelyn replied. "No offense."

"None taken," both Rick and Madeline said again. Madeline winced at their second simultaneous remark. She certainly hoped that wasn't going to happen a third time.

"Where'd our smelly little friend get to?" Jonathan asked suddenly, meaning the warden. For the first time, Madeline noticed he was missing.

"Don't know, don't care." Madeline replied, grunting with the weight of the pickax. She suddenly brightened. "Maybe he died."

They continued hacking away at the ceiling of the room they were in. Madeline had to handle it to Evelyn: she'd really come through. If this worked, those stupid Americans were in for a big, unpleasant surprise. She'd been thinking this a lot, but she was really starting to like Evelyn.

After a good hour, they finally stopped to take a rest. Jonathan began swinging his ax at loose rocks, practicing his golf swing. Madeline sat down and took a heavy swig of her water. After a few moments, Evelyn and Rick began talking about mummies, which was odd to Madeline, because she'd never known Rick to care about such things before.

Evie began to explain the process of mummification. "Let me get this straight," Rick interrupted her. "They ripped out your guts and stuffed them in… jars."

"They'd take out your heart as well. Oh, and do you know how they took out your brains?"

"Evie, I don't think we need to know this," Jonathan announced.

"I agree with Jonathan," Madeline was quick to add.

Evelyn ignored them both. "They'd take a sharp, red-hot poker, stick it up your nose, scramble things about a bit, and then rip it all out through your nostrils."

Madeline winced. "Ow."

"That's got to hurt," Rick added.

"Well, it's called mummification, you'll be dead when they do this," Evie explained. The process she'd just described didn't disgust her in the slightest. In fact, talking about it seemed exciting to her.

"Evie," Madeline announced. "You are all kinds of twisted."

Evie smiled, recognizing the comment for what it was: a compliment. "Thank you," she murmured.

"For the record," Rick announced, turning to Jonathan. "If I don't make it out of here, don't put me down for mummification."

"Likewise," Jonathan agreed, swinging at another rock. The rock flew upwards, bouncing off the ceiling, and causing the room around them to shake and rumble. Dirt began to billow down around them, and very suddenly, a huge, heavy, rectangular object fell from above, landing before Rick, Evelyn, and Madeline. Madeline couldn't help but yelp a little – she had narrowly missed being crushed to death. "What the hell was that?" she exclaimed, stumbling to her feet.

"Oops," Jonathan said quietly.

Rick and Evelyn also stood up. "Oh my god," Evie announced. "It's… it's a sarcophagus. Buried at the base of Anubis."

Everyone looked up at the cavernous hole in the ceiling above them. Evie stared at the sarcophagus before her. "He must have been someone of great importance," she continued. "Or he did something very naughty."

Rick raised his eyebrows at this. Madeline let loose a shaky breath. She didn't think she could handle much more of this crap. If one more thing fell out of the sky, or tried to stab her, or set her boat on fire…. Well, enough was enough already.

The four of them began blowing and wiping sand off of the top of the sarcophagus. Madeline frowned at the strange markings carved into the lid. She couldn't make sense of them to save her life.

Apparently, Evelyn could. She was frowning at them as well, but in a way that suggested she was reading them. "Well, who is it?" Jonathan asked.

Evelyn was still frowning. "He that shall not be named."

"Wow," Madeline murmured. "That sounds serious."

Rick was frowning at a strange indentation carved into the surface of the sarcophagus. "This looks like some kind of a lock," he announced.

Madeline peered over his shoulder. The star shaped carving _did_ in fact resemble a lock. "I think you're right," she agreed. "But why the hell would anyone want to lock up a coffin?"

"Well, whoever's in here sure wasn't getting out," Jonathan put in.

"Yeah, no kidding," Rick said.

"He's dead," Madeline pointed out. "Where the hell did they think he was going to go?"

"I don't know," Rick replied with a shrug, "But I'll tell you one thing: it would take us a month to crack into this thing without a key."

"A key?" Evelyn exclaimed suddenly. "A key! A key! Now that's what he was talking about!"

She raced over to their bags and began rifling through Jonathan's satchel. Madeline and Jonathan looked at one another as though they suspected Evie had lost her mind. "Who was talking about what?" Rick asked, confused, looking over at the other two with a similar look on his face. Both of them shrugged.

"The man, the man on the barge!" Evelyn explained. "The one with the hook! He was looking for a key!"

She raced back over to the sarcophagus, Rick's puzzle box in her hands. "Hey, that's mine!" Jonathan protested.

Evie ignored him. She opened up the octagonal box and it became a star. With an excited grin, she placed the star shaped top of the box in the indentation. It fit perfectly.

She grinned up at the other three triumphantly. But before anything else could be said on the subject, they heard loud, terrified screaming. It sounded like the warden. Both Rick and Madeline pulled their guns, and the four of them raced towards the sound – with Jonathan stopping to collect his trinket on the way, of course.

They flew out of the room and into the adjoining corridor. The warden pushed past them frantically, still screaming his head off, and brushing away insects that weren't there. He'd lost his hat and his jacket, and his shirt was hanging halfway open. Running frantically, he raced down the hall in hysterics, and ran straight into the stone wall at the end of the pathway. He fell backwards, landing still and silent, and lay stiff on the floor.

The four onlookers gaped at the sight in shock. Madeline stared at his lifeless body, looking rather horrified. "Oh, shit," she announced. "Now I feel really guilty."


	8. A Warning and a Bottle

Tongue Tied

Rating: T

Disclaimer: I am not affiliated with the motion picture _The Mummy_. I wish I was, but sadly, I have no rights to anything. Please, please, _please_ don't sue me. I also have no money.

AN: Another big thank you goes out to all my reviewers: AnckSuNamun, OceanFae, cflat, ForgottenStars, Mariella D'Angelo, and vampiremistress2sexy. Thanks again! Also, some of you expressed the concern that I was starting to follow the script and that you would like to see more deviation. I know the last chapter definitely fell into the 'lack of deviation' department, but I intend on making that chapter the exception rather than the rule. Hopefully, this chapter shows a little more originality. Thanks!

* * *

Chapter 7: A Warning and a Bottle

Madeline sat before the fire that night, staring into the flames silently, ignoring the conversation that went on around her. She was used to opening her big mouth and regretting it later, but never before had she made a comment that turned out to be so inappropriate. It was a bit of shock, to be perfectly honest, that she had mentioned the warden dying so carelessly, and then he had gone ahead and done it. Madeline had never particularly liked the guy, but she hadn't exactly wanted him to die either. They'd spent much of their time bickering, but in a way, the fighting had been rather entertaining, and now she felt like she had lost something in the way of a friend. Who was she going to talk to now that he was gone? Rick was far too caught up in Evelyn to pay her any mind, Evelyn was far too caught up in Hamunaptra to even glance Madeline's way, and even Jonathan wasn't much company now. Before, she had begun to feel a sort of kinship with Jonathan, thinking that they had a lot in common, but now that they were out in the field, Madeline was beginning to realize exactly how different she was from everyone she was with. The Carnahans were archaeologists, and they were very smart, even Jonathan. They knew what they were doing out here. Even Rick, who had just about no education on the subject of ancient Egypt, played an important part out here: he was the guide. Without him, they would have never have gotten this far. And on top of the guilt she was feeling regarding the warden's death, Madeline was beginning to feel useless. What was she worth out here? Nothing. She couldn't even keep her seat on a camel for crying out loud. She was a liability, was what she was.

"What do you suppose killed him?" Evelyn asked.

"Did you ever see him eat?" Jonathan returned.

"It wasn't anything he ate," Madeline replied stonily. "It was me. I killed him. I wished him dead, and then somehow I made it happen with my mind. I killed him."

"Stop being stupid," Rick said to his sister, sitting down beside Evelyn. "It didn't have a damn thing to do with you. In fact, it seems our American friends had a little misfortune of their own today. Three of their diggers were, uh… melted."

"What?" Jonathan asked.

"How?" Evelyn wanted to know.

"Salt acid," Rick replied. "Pressurized salt acid. Some kind of ancient booby trap."

"Maybe this place is cursed," Jonathan murmured.

"No," Madeline disagreed. She couldn't help it: she was feeling even more down on herself than usual. "This place isn't cursed: I am."

"Madeline, if you say one more thing like that, I am going to kick your ass," Rick snapped. Madeline supposed he was attempting to make her feel better, but his yelling at her was actually making her feel worse.

A gloom had settled over the four of them. "Oh honestly, you three," Evelyn said suddenly.

"You don't believe in curses?" Rick asked.

"No, I don't, I believe if I can see it and I can touch it, than it's real, that's what I believe," Evie returned.

"Yeah, well, I believe in being prepared," Rick replied.

"Well, let's see what our friend the warden believed in," Jonathan announced cheerily, rifling through the warden's bag. Everyone watched him with anticipation. Suddenly, he gave a yelp of pain and drew his hand very quickly out of the satchel.

Everyone screamed and jumped about three feet in the air. "What is it?" Evie cried.

"Broken bottle," Jonathan returned, reaching back into the bag and pulling out a large bottle of liquor. "Glenlivet. Twelve years old! Well, he may have been a stinky fellow, but he had good taste."

Jonathan carefully removed the broken top and took a swig. As he swallowed, Madeline yanked it out of his hand and took several very long chugs. Jonathan watched in amazement as she drank, but then frowned and quite suddenly grabbed it back from her. "Well, save some for the rest of us!" he cried out.

Madeline wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and said nothing.

Off in the distance, the four of them could hear the whinnying of horses. "Take this," Rick said suddenly, thrusting his shotgun at Evelyn. "Stay here."

Rick got to his feet and raced off towards the American camp. Madeline, wondering if there was going to be a fight, and finally thinking maybe she could be helpful, also stood and ran off after him.

"No, wait, wait!" she heard Evelyn calling behind them. "Wait for me, wait!"

Rick glanced over his shoulder at his little sister. "What are you doing?" he demanded. "I said stay there!"

"I thought you were talking to Evie!" Madeline protested.

"Well, I wasn't, I was talking to all of you!"

"Well, I'm already up, so I might as well come then."

Rick rolled his eyes. Madeline suspected he'd decided further arguing was going to be fruitless. "Whatever," he sighed.

The two of them reached the American camp to find it being overrun by black robed men on horses, with their guns and swords flying, chasing the Americans all over their campsite. Rick and Madeline both pulled out their pistols and started shooting back.

Madeline knew a gunfight shouldn't be making her happy, but the fact of the matter was that she could shoot, and she could shoot well. In fact, the only thing she _could_ do well was shoot. After several days of being in the way, Madeline was finally starting to feel useful again.

The Egyptologist was racing across the campsite, clutching his books to his chest, shouting, "Mr. Henderson, wake up!"

There was a black robed man chasing after the stuck up scholar on horseback, swinging a sword. As the Egyptologist raced to Henderson's tent, Madeline came running forward, and shot down the man on the horse. He fell to the ground, and the horse kept going. Henderson, who had just come out of his tent as the Egyptologist ran for cover inside of it, gave her a rather amazed look. "Nice shot," he commented.

Didn't Madeline say she was no longer attracted to the trigger happy cowboy? Well, as was typical for her, one compliment was all it took to turn her right back into an idiot schoolgirl with a crush. "Uh… thanks…" she stumbled over her words, positive she was drooling.

Henderson drew his own guns and shot down another man on horseback, who Madeline, blinded by the attractive man in front of her, had neglected to see.

Well, great, she thought to herself. If she was going to live through this, she'd better get away from the distraction. She ran off in another direction, ducking behind a large statue, and shooting at more of the attacking horsemen. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Jonathan shooting, clearly a tad bit drunk, and miraculously hitting every target he aimed for.

Wow. Madeline was mildly impressed. At least, she was until another horseman charged Jonathan, and he ran off screaming for her brother.

Madeline attempted to go help Jonathan, but was suddenly tackled from the side by another black robed man. She kicked him in the gut, smashed her pistol into the side of his head, and forced him off her and into the statue behind them. She stumbled to her feet, and got off a few shots into the man's chest. Then she raced towards a heap on the ground that was composed of her older brother and the black robed man who'd been chasing Jonathan.

"Get down, missy!" she heard a heavy southern accent cry out. Then someone grabbed her arm and threw her into a tent.

She looked up at the person who'd knocked her down. Henderson was shooting at another black robed man she hadn't seen, and now she was lying on top of what used to be his tent. Whoops. Well, she didn't feel all too bad about it, honestly: he should have looked where he was throwing her.

"Um, thanks?" she called up to him. He gave her a nod, and Madeline once again ran over to where she was pretty damn sure Rick was getting his ass kicked by the desert man. She shot at one more attacking man before she reached Rick's side – but once she reached her brother, she found she was no longer needed. Her brother was holding off his opponent with a lit stick of dynamite. The black robed man looked like he was ready to back off.

Madeline was astounded to see the man facing her brother down was the desert man she'd fought with on the riverboat. So much for a ceasefire, she thought to herself. Sadly, even though he was threatening her brother with a sword, Madeline had to admit she still found him incredibly handsome. Damn it.

His gaze moved from the dynamite to Madeline when she appeared by Rick rather suddenly. Recognition flickered in his eyes, but then he frowned at her as though he thought something was seriously wrong with her. Madeline was used to people giving her that look, so she didn't even bother to figure out what embarrassing thing she was doing at the moment.

"We will shed no more blood!" the desert man announced. "But you must leave this place! Leave this place or die!"

He leapt back on his horse. "You have one day!" he called over his shoulder. Then he yelled at his men in Arabic, and they all rode away.

Rick frowned after them, pulling the fuse out of his stick of dynamite. He glanced over at his little sister, who was still watching the horsemen leave, and shook his head at her. "Madeline, no," he sighed, placing a finger under her chin and closing her mouth.

Oh, crap, Madeline thought to herself. So that's why the desert man had given her the 'what is wrong with you' look. She'd been staring at him with her mouth wide open, like some kind of moron. Wonderful.

Rick was still shaking his head at her. Madeline attempted to laugh it off, but could only muster a weak giggle. Rick sighed, and went to go check on Evelyn, who was lying on the ground nearby.

Madeline, perfectly humiliated, stumbled over to where Jonathan was lying on the ground, and gave him a hand up. "Are you all right?" she sighed.

"Fantastic," he replied sarcastically. "Do you think your brother might have a bit of crush on my baby sister?"

Madeline looked where he was pointing. Sure enough, Rick had helped Evelyn to her feet, and was holding her much closer than he needed to. Evie was staring at Madeline's brother, her hands on his chest, and Rick had a hand on her chin.

Madeline couldn't decide if that was cute, or if she was going to gag. "I'd say it's a definite possibility," she responded.

"See, that proves it!" Daniels announced. "Old Seti's fortune's got to be under this sand!"

"For them to protect it like this, you just know there's treasure down there." Henderson agreed.

"No," Rick said, frowning in the direction the desert men had disappeared in. "These men are a desert people. They value water, not gold."

Madeline exchanged a glance with her older brother. She could see by the look in his eyes that something was very wrong here.

"You know, uh, maybe just at night, we could, uh, combine forces, hmm?" Burns suggested. He still had shaving cream on his face.

Rick looked over at the man, frowned slightly, but nodded in agreement.

"Well, I don't know about anybody else," Jonathan announced. "But I need a drink!"

"I'm with you, Jonathan," Madeline agreed.

* * *

Half an hour and several drinks later, Madeline and Jonathan were approaching the state of being very drunk indeed. Evelyn was catching up to them fast, and Rick, while he wasn't exactly sober, had wisely decided not to get as drunk as his three companions.

About three drinks too late, Madeline realized how much wisdom there was in her brother's attempt to stay as sober as possible, and it suddenly occurred to her that since she was the only other person in their group truly capable of holding her own in a fight, she probably should have followed Rick's example. But Madeline was upset and embarrassed, and most importantly, she had never been wise.

Rick was discussing the finer points of fist fighting with Evelyn, who was quite drunkenly hanging on every word that came out of his mouth. Madeline had found excellent company in Jonathan, and the two of them together had had the lion's share of the bottle.

"I don't know why I come out on these digs anymore," Jonathan was saying. "I never find anything. The only thing I've ever found that was worth a damn was this little beauty…" Here, he pulled out Rick's box, and displayed it for Madeline. "… and I didn't even find this exactly, I stole it off your brother!"

"Well, I'm not going to lie to you, Jonathan, my friend, I don't know anything about the business you're in," Madeline replied, attempting to console. "But I would think it takes years to discover anything truly amazing."

"You would think correctly," Jonathan returned, rather loudly. "But I fear I just don't have the patience for it. I don't know why I even bothered to study archeology – I don't particularly care for it at all! I hate the heat, I hate the sand, I hate camels…."

"Me too!" Madeline interjected drunkenly.

"And I hate all the boring stuff that comes after the digs! Do you know we have to analyze everything we find, date it, look up the meanings of all the bloody markings on the artifacts, code and catalogue them…." Jonathan seemed to be on some kind of drunken tangent. Eventually, Madeline stopped him.

"That's a lot of busy work!" she agreed, interrupting his monologue.

"It _is_ a lot of busy work," Jonathan nodded, taking a swig from the bottle. "And I hate the lot of it! Why, the only thing I really want to find is treasure! I want shiny, golden – or silvery – bejeweled objects that are rare and priceless and that some bloody idiot would pay a hell of a lot of money for! That's what I want to find out here! I don't care about bloody history!"

Madeline laughed. Wow, she was drunk. "Why are you out here?" he asked her curiously. "If you don't mind me saying, you don't seem particularly interested in history either, and while I'm not saying you aren't suited for adventure – that would be very wrong, you certainly are – but what I am saying, is that your brother is quite the 'hard ass,' as I believe you American types call it, and you are not exactly all teeth and nails, are you?"

"I'm not?" Madeline asked. "I kind of thought I was all teeth and nails, whatever the hell that means." Her vision was blurring, so she knew she'd reached a fairly high level of intoxication. "I mean, look at your sister!" She pointed wildly over at Evelyn and Rick, who were far enough away that they couldn't hear the conversation. "She's all cute and tiny and… and she wears dresses… and I mean, isn't that like the epitome of femininity?" (Of course, since Madeline was drunk, femininity actually came out sounding more like eff-em-nit-it-it-itee.) "I'm all tall, and muscle-y, and not cute, and huge and… and I wear pants! And I like pants! And what's more, I also like to shoot things! And I'm good at it! And your sister's all smart, and I'm all… stupid."

"Well, see, now, old girl, you're being too hard on yourself!" Jonathan protested. "You're not stupid! You just weren't educated on the same things as Evie was! You have other… strengths and… talents!"

"No, I'm stupid," Madeline disagreed. "I really am. I can't do math to save my life…"

"Well, who can?" Jonathan replied.

"And I don't really like to read all that much…"

"Well, who does?"

"And I can't form a coherent thought in the presence of an attractive man to save my life!" Madeline finished. "Hell, I can barely form coherent sentences in the company of unattractive men!"

"Well, I'm sure that happens to lots of girls," Jonathan sympathized.

"Besides, I'm pretty slow on the uptake too," Madeline rambled on. "Can't pick up on subtleties, that sort of thing, you know what I'm talking about? I don't get things right away. At least, I don't feel like I do."

Jonathan smiled at her, and patted her on the shoulder. "Hey, look at me!" he pointed out. "I'm an educated man! Still, here I am, drinking too much, and gambling all my money away, and not to mention picking people's pockets…. I'm a fuck up!"

"Me too," Madeline agreed, grinning drunkenly. "We are both fuck ups! I can't hold a job to save my life! Don't tell Rick," she interjected frantically. "Cause I always tell him that I get fired because my boss is a sexist pig, but that's not really true. Well, I mean, sometimes it is, but a lot of other times it's not. Sometimes, it's because I lose my temper and get into fights with customers, and sometimes it's because I'll refuse to follow a rule I think is stupid, or sometimes it's because of _really_ irresponsible reasons! Like, one time, I was a bartender, and I got fired because I kept drinking on the job. Like, _really_ drinking. Like shitfaced." Madeline took another long swig from the bottle they were sharing. "I never told Rick that. He'd be so mad at me, because I always yell at him for being irresponsible, because he gets arrested so much, but really, I'm just as bad! Don't tell Rick."

"Mum's the word, old chum!" Jonathan assured her, again rather loudly. "You know, I find that we have an extreme amount in common! For example, we are both fuck ups! And, I believe, both bordering on alcoholism! Would you agree?"

"Completely!" Madeline shouted.

"And," Jonathan continued. "I find that we are also both living in the shadows of our siblings! Would you agree with that as well?"

"That is so true," Madeline gasped, as if Jonathan were a genius. "We _are_ both living our lives in the shadows of our siblings!"

"Well, there you have it!" Jonathan announced. "We're two of a kind, you and me! Peas in a pod!"

"Huge peas!" Madeline agreed. "In a gigantic pod!"

Jonathan about pissed himself with laughter at this. "I believe you and me are going to be great pals," he said, as solemnly as a drunken person trying to contain hysterical laughter can be.

"I think you're right," Madeline agreed. "We're going to be excellent pals!"

"Yes we are, and I think we should drink to that," Jonathan announced, taking another swig and handing her the bottle. Madeline took a drink as well.

"Mmmm," Madeline murmured. "What else can we take a drink to?"

"Oh, now, I'm sure I can think of a few things," Jonathan grinned.

* * *

Several drinks later, Madeline lost her drinking buddy. Jonathan started to pass out. "No," Madeline hissed at him, as his eyes started to close. "No, you can't go to sleep!"

"I'm sorry, Maddie," Jonathan yawned. "I'm just so tired."

"No! No, Jonathan, no!" Madeline whispered, poking him in the face. "Come on, wake up! Jonathan!"

No response. Jonathan was out for the night.

"Damn it," Madeline whispered to herself. She glanced over at Rick and Evie, and saw that Rick was teaching Evie how to punch things. Somehow, she didn't think she was welcome over there.

Madeline sighed. "Jonathan, you're being _lame_!" she groaned in his ear. Jonathan said nothing. With another loud sigh, Madeline stumbled to her feet, and walked off towards the rock wall on the far end of the city.

"Oh, crap," she said suddenly, gagging. She raced over behind a pile of dislodged rocks, dug a hole in the sand as fast as possible, and then threw up all over the place.

Several minutes later, when she'd finally stopped puking, Madeline rather awkwardly covered the hole with sand so no one would end up stepping in the vomit, and then she got back to her feet. Upon standing, she nearly fell down again, but she steadied herself and blinked over at the fire. Whatever Rick and Evelyn had been doing was over now. Evelyn was passed out in Rick's lap, and Rick was just staring at her, looking rather disappointed.

Madeline stumbled back to the campfire and collapsed next to Rick. Rick looked over her and laughed. "Exactly how drunk are you?" he asked.

"Pretty drunk," Madeline snorted, laughing crazily. Rick would have shushed her, but he was pretty sure nothing short of an explosion would wake up either of the Carnahan siblings.

Rick sighed. "Can I expect you to pass out anytime soon?"

"I don't know," Madeline replied, her voice coming out much more high-pitched than she'd meant it to be. "I just threw up."

Rick laughed again, shaking his head. "You drunk-ass," he replied.

"Rick," Madeline whined, sitting up. "I'm sorry I yelled at you that day about you being irresponsible."

"It's all right, Maddie," Rick replied. "We don't have to talk about it."

"Yes, yes, we do!" Madeline exclaimed drunkenly. "You don't understand, I was wrong. I was so wrong. Because I'm irresponsible too. I get fired all the time!"

"Yeah, but that's not really your fault."

"Yes it is," Madeline groaned. "I lied to you, Rick! I _did_ get fired from my last job for wearing pants!"

"I know," Rick said.

"It's worse than that though," Madeline pressed on. "My boss was really nice to me! He just said I needed to wear more professional clothing! So I told him to go fuck himself, because I'm a jackass."

Rick laughed. "You told him to go fuck himself?"

"Yes, and then he told me to go find another job."

Rick laughed again. "That's kind of funny."

"No, it's not, Rick, I'm a fuck up!" she exclaimed.

"Maddie, you are not a fuck up."

"Yes I am, I'm a fuck up," Madeline insisted. Then she sighed heavily. "And now you're going to go and marry Evie…."

"What are you talking about?"

"…and leave me all alone, and get lots of money because you live with a smart wife instead of a dumbass sister…."

"Maddie, you're drunk. Just stop talking."

"… and then I'll never see you, and you'll forget all about me and become all successful, and you won't be a fuck up anymore, and I'll still be a fuck up…"

"You're not a fuck up, Maddie."

"… and you have to promise me, Rick," she demanded, getting up into his face. "You have to promise me that when you have a house and a family and all that stuff that you won't forget about me. And that when I'm all out of money, and out of work, and I've fucked my life up all to hell, that you'll let me sleep on your couch."

Rick stared at her. Madeline stared back. "Promise," she insisted.

"All right," Rick said quietly. "I promise."

Madeline smiled and hugged him. "I love you, big brother," she said in his ear. Then she dropped back down into the sand, rolled over, and fell into a drunken sleep.

* * *


	9. A Very Big Mistake

Tongue Tied

Rating: T

Disclaimer: I am not affiliated with the motion picture _The Mummy_. I wish I was, but sadly, I have no rights to anything. Please, please, _please_ don't sue me. I also have no money.

AN: Thank you to my reviewers: ForgottenStars, vampiremistress2sexy, Mariella D'Angelo, Evanesce, and OceanFae. You guys rule! Oh, and by the way, my roommate thinks that the language I use in this story merits an M rating, because she's insane. However, on the off chance that she isn't completely bonkers, I'd like your feedback. Tell me if you think I need to bump up the rating. Thanks again! Enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 8: A Very Big Mistake 

When Madeline forced herself awake the next morning, she found that she had a horrible hangover. She was nauseous, dizzy, dehydrated, and she had a huge headache. In summary, she wanted to kill herself.

Madeline sighed, sitting up. She groaned. This was not fun. What the hell had possessed her to drink so much the night before? She rubbed her aching temples and stumbled to her feet. Due to her dizziness, she didn't last very long standing. She fell into a nearby pillar.

"Ow!" she exclaimed. "Damn it!"

She blinked in the sunlight, finding it damn near impossible to fully open her eyes in her present condition. It was far too bright out and the intense light not only hurt her eyes, it magnified her headache to an excruciating point.

Suddenly, she gagged. Great, Madeline thought to herself. She was going to be sick again. Fantastic.

Madeline walked away from her sleeping companions, hoping to spare them the sound of her vomiting, and disappeared behind a sort of broke-down wall. She dug another hole in the sand, much like the night before, and let it all come out.

When she had finished retching, she wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, and sat back on her heels. "Are you all right, Miss Madeline?" a heavy southern accented voice asked her.

Madeline groaned. She knew without looking it was Henderson. "I'm fine!" she said, refusing to glance in his direction. "Just leave me alone!"

"Are you sick?"

Madeline groaned a second time, burying her mess beneath the sand. Then she stood up, and faced the cowboy. "I am fine," she insisted.

He looked at her with his baby blue eyes, and Madeline felt the idiot take over. "But… uh… thank you… for asking…" she stuttered.

Henderson was giving her a very strange look. Madeline couldn't blame him. One minute she was yelling at him, the next she was shy and mumbling. Well, he could just blame himself for that. What the hell was wrong with him that he had to appear every time something embarrassing was happening to her?

"Well, then, if you're sure you're all right…" he murmured, looking confused.

"I'm great," Madeline replied with a big fake smile.

"All right, then," Henderson backed away from her. "I'll just leave you alone."

Madeline waved like an idiot, and Henderson raced over to his friends. Goddamn it! Madeline had never been so irritated in her life. What was wrong with her? Did she really just scare a grown man away from her? He probably thought she had rabies or something. Madeline sighed, and stumbled back over to her camp. Evelyn and Rick were awake. For someone who'd been ass over teacups drunk the night before, Evelyn was looking bright-eyed and perfectly healthy. That was just so totally unfair.

"Hey, Maddie!" Rick exclaimed, twice as loudly as was necessary.

"I hate you," Madeline snapped, sitting down beside Jonathan, who was still asleep.

What had she said to Rick the night before? Madeline couldn't help but feel it had been something she hadn't wanted to tell him. A sudden sinking feeling seized hold of her. Oh, no, she realized. I told him how I got fired. I admitted I was irresponsible. Oh shit.

Madeline could feel her eyes going wide and horrified. Rick and Evelyn weren't paying her any mind. Oh no, she thought again. She'd told him that he wasn't allowed to forget about her after he fell in love with Evie. Oh, crap! She'd let him see how insecure she was about this new romance developing between him and the Carnahan woman! She'd even forced him to promise that he'd let her sleep on the couch when he was happy, and she had finished fucking up her life beyond repair. Oh, this was just so not good.

"Want some breakfast, Maddie?" Rick asked teasingly. "We've got ooey-gooey, drippy eggs and something that I think might be creamed corn. Are you in?"

Madeline dry-heaved. "I will kill you in the most horrible way I can think of," she retorted.

Well, even if she had divulged some embarrassing things about herself to her older brother, he seemed determined not to bring it up, and to continue on the way they'd always been. Madeline sure as hell wasn't going to rock the boat.

Jonathan suddenly groaned, and sat up slowly. "Oh my bloody god, I think I died and went to hell," he exclaimed, rubbing his head. "What kind of sick, twisted torture is this?"

"I feel your pain," Madeline grunted, her head in her hands.

"How can something feel amazing one day, and then kick you in the ass the next?" Jonathan went on, his fingers fumbling for his canteen. "Oh, hell's teeth, I really think I'll just go ahead and die now, thank you very much."

"Take me with you," Madeline returned.

"We made a very big mistake last night, old girl," Jonathan said to her.

"The worst I've made in a _long_ time," Madeline agreed.

"I don't see what the big deal is," Evelyn interjected. "I, for one, feel fine."

"Well, kudos to you," Madeline grumbled. "Did I tell you I hate you yet?"

"Same from me," Jonathan added.

"All right, enough," Rick announced.

"I'll say," Evelyn agreed. "We have a lot of work to be getting done today, and we really need to start on it. If everyone is ready, I say we head down into the tomb."

Madeline and Jonathan weren't ready, but they followed Rick and Evie down into the tomb again anyway. Once they'd reached their dig site from the day before, Evelyn yanked the key out of Jonathan's pocket and used it to unlock the large stone sarcophagus. Inside, they found yet another coffin, which was also locked.

"Another one?" Madeline asked. "What, did they think he was going to wake up?"

"Actually," Evelyn replied. "This was not unusual at all. It was customary."

"Oh," Madeline replied. Well, didn't she feel like a dumbass.

Rick and Jonathan hefted the second coffin out of the sarcophagus. Grunting and scraping filled the tomb as the two men dragged the heavy box across the stone rim of its container, and balanced it vertically. They muscled it away from the sarcophagus and tilted it up against a wall. "Oh," Evelyn exclaimed, as though she could no longer contain her excitement. "I've been dreaming about this ever since I was a little girl!"

"You dream about dead guys?" Rick asked ironically.

"Look," Evie went on, fascinated by the object in front of her, and clearly not hearing Rick's remark. "His sacred spells have been chiseled off! This man must have been condemned not only in this life, but in the next."

"Tough break," Rick said.

Madeline wanted to ask what the hell Evie meant by scared spells, but she thought better of it. She'd had quite enough of looking stupid for one day.

"Yeah, I'm all tears," Jonathan added sarcastically, taking his key back from Evie and using it to unlock the coffin. Grunting under the strain of turning the key in its lock, he announced, "Now, let's see who's inside, shall we?"

Both Madeline and Evie took a step back from the coffin as Rick and Jonathan struggled to lift off the lid. Madeline was about to suggest she take Jonathan's place – which would have been the sensible thing to do from the beginning, since she was positive she was a hell of a lot stronger than Jonathan – but before she could offer this advice, the lid was off and on the floor. The body inside sprang forward, amid a loud hissing sound, and all four of them screamed in terror.

As soon as the dust had settled and it became clear that the mummy wasn't going to walk out of its coffin and start chasing them, Madeline let loose a loud sigh of aggravation. "What the hell was that?" she exclaimed.

"Oh my God, I hate it when these things do that," Evie agreed, walking back towards the mummy. Madeline kept her distance.

"You hate it when these things do that?" she repeated incredulously. "I think I need to change my pants!"

"I know I do," Jonathan added.

Rick was staring at the mummy with a mixture of shock and curiosity. "Is he supposed to look like that?"

Madeline swallowed hard, and walked up to the body. The closer she got, the clearer was the reason behind Rick's question. The skeleton look very moist and gooey, as though it still had a ways to go before it rotted completely.

"I've never seen a mummy look like this before," Evie admitted. "He's still… still…"

"Juicy," both Rick and Jonathan supplied at the same time.

"Yes," Evie agreed. "He must be more than three thousand years old, and yet… he looks as if he's still… decomposing."

As far as Madeline was concerned, Evelyn was far too fascinated by the nasty looking mummy in front of her. She didn't care if it was unusual or not – it was disgusting, and Madeline wanted no part of it.

"Well, I'm going to go throw up," she announced. Rick gave her a ridiculing look that only a brother could give to his little sister.

"Just be quiet," he returned. Then he glanced at the lid of the coffin. The inside was lying face up, and whatever was on it must have been pretty interesting, because suddenly, Rick said, "Hey, take a look at that," and walked over to the heavy slab of stone.

Both he and Evie kneeled beside it, directly next to one another. Glad to look at anything that wasn't rotting away, Madeline joined them, kneeling down beside Jonathan. "What do you make of this?" Rick asked.

"My God, these marks were made with… fingernails," Evie murmured, tracing the scratch marks on the interior with her own fingertips. She glanced back over at the mummy. "This man was buried alive."

She returned her gaze back at the interior of the coffin, tracing some deeply engraved symbols in the lid. "And he left a message," Evie continued, completely engrossed in the markings. Once again, Madeline had no clue what they meant, but Evie translated them without a problem. "Death is only the beginning."

A hush fell over the assembled party. Evie and Rick looked back up at the mummy, almost in awe. Madeline, however, spoiled the moment with a snort of laughter.

Everyone stared at her. She snorted a little bit more. "That's funny," she said.

"How so?" Rick asked, his eyebrow raised.

Madeline shook her head, laughing a little more. "It's just like what you said to me, Jonathan, on the boat! Remember? When you were buying me drinks, and you called me the get drunk quick type, and I was all like, 'I'm not going to get drunk Jonathan, it's only one shot,' and you said, 'One shot is only the beginning.' Don't you remember that?"

"I do!" Jonathan exclaimed, now as excited as Madeline. "I did say that, didn't I? One shot is only the beginning, I remember now!"

"Yeah, it sounds just like 'Death is only the beginning,' right?"

Madeline and Jonathan were now both laughing like idiots, going back over the finer points of that evening. Rick looked over at Evie, clearly ashamed of his relation. "I'm sorry," he said. "My sister's an idiot."

"That's quite all right," Evelyn returned, staring at the other two members of their party as though she couldn't quite believe she knew them. "My brother is also an idiot, I'm afraid."

Both Madeline and Jonathan stopped laughing abruptly, and looked at their companions. Madeline dismissed them with a wave of her hand. "Don't pay them any mind," she said to her new found ally. "They're just jealous because they don't have an inside joke."

"Too right," Jonathan agreed.

Rick and Evie continued to stare at them like they were morons. "Well, I'm out of here," Madeline announced, standing up. "I know when I'm in the way."

She walked back the way they'd come in. Jonathan also stood and followed her. "I'll be with Maddie," he said over his shoulder.

The two of them walked away, leaving Rick and Evelyn to their own devices. "Hey, I have an idea," Jonathan announced to his companion. "Let's do a little poking around ourselves. What do you say?"

"Um… that depends," Madeline replied hesitatingly. "Will I have to dig up any more corpses?"

"Well, if it all goes according to plan, no."

"All right then," Madeline said. "I'm in. What are we looking for?"

Jonathan grinned greedily. "Treasure, old girl, and lots of it! Hamunaptra was not just known as The City of the Dead, you know. According to, uh, well… Evie… Hamunaptra was _also_ where the earliest pharaohs hid the wealth of Egypt."

"The wealth of Egypt?" Madeline repeated. "So, that'd be like, a lot of treasure, right?"

"Precisely."

"Well, that's more like it," Madeline said. "Shiny stuff, not dead stuff!"

"Exactly, now good old Seti I was said to have stored all this shiny stuff in an underground treasure chamber somewhere within the city. All we have to do is figure out where this underground treasure chamber _is_, and then we'll be absolutely filthy stinking rich! Sound good, old girl?"

"Sounds amazing! Let's find this thing."

"Right!" Jonathan grinned, but then, moments later, his smile faded. "Now, which way should we go?"

Madeline frowned at him. "Exactly how the hell would I know the answer to that?"

"It was a rhetorical question, Maddie; try to keep up," Jonathan sighed and looked around them. "Well, I think this is the direction the warden came from yesterday, when he had that fit and, well… kicked the bucket."

"Right," Madeline agreed. "Maybe we shouldn't go this way."

"No, no, I've got a good feeling about this," Jonathan waved away her concerns, pushing onward.

"Well, I don't," Madeline replied. "But then again, what the hell do I know? Nothing, that's what I know."

"If you're done with the self-defeatist routine, can we please move on?" Jonathon retorted. "Now, that relief on the wall looks like… uh…"

Madeline sighed. "You don't know what that says," she said, shaking her head at him.

"Well, neither do you! And for your information, I do know what it says."

"Really? Then what does it say?"

"Well, give me a minute! It's not like hieroglyphics are my native tongue, you know."

Madeline fell silent and let Jonathan concentrate on the relief. The frown on his face was rather amusing looking, but not exactly reassuring. "I've got it!" he exclaimed. "It says, 'Let all that enter here be warned, greed is heavy. Should you come with greed in your heart, you may not rise up again."

Madeline gave Jonathan an incredulous look. "Are you sure that's what it says?"

"Positive. I may not like my job, but I know how to do it. Sort of."

"Well, then what the hell does that mean?"

"Hold on, let me think it over." Jonathan frowned at the relief a little longer, and then suddenly brightened. "I think I've got it!" he announced. "Hamunaptra is supposed to be able to disappear under the sand at the will of the pharaoh. So, should thieves break in here to steal the treasure, than they're warned that they might not be able to get back out." He grinned at Madeline. "See! I told you we were going the right way."

Suddenly, footsteps and what sounded like moaning could be heard coming from the hall they'd just come out of. "What the hell was that?" Madeline asked.

"Uh… I don't know…" Jonathan murmured nervously. "Maybe you… maybe you should go… check that out."

"Oh, maybe _I_ should go?" Madeline gave him a nasty look. "And where will you be while I'm down the hall risking my neck?"

"Um… I suppose 'in the underground treasure chamber' would be the wrong answer."

"Damn straight," Madeline retorted. "Come on."

Madeline pulled her pistols from their holsters and held them out, ready to fire, as the two of them edged around the corner and back into the hall they'd just come down. There was an entrance to another passageway on the left side of the hall, and the strange noises seemed to be coming from that direction. "I think it's in there," Madeline whispered, nodding towards the other passage.

"Right," Jonathan whispered. "You go first."

Madeline turned to look at him with indignation. "Why me?"

"Because you're the one with the guns!"

"Oh." Madeline thought about that for a moment. "Huh. I guess that does make sense."

Jonathan motioned frantically towards the passageway. The footsteps and the strange moaning noises were growing louder, meaning whatever was in there was getting closer. Madeline and her cowardly companion pressed themselves around the wall, moving closer to the entrance, listening intently.

As they leapt in front of the entrance, guns drawn, three figures leapt out of the passageway, yelling and waving their own guns. It was Henderson, Daniels, and Burns. Behind them stood the Egyptologist, clutching a large black book to his chest and looking terrified.

Madeline and Jonathan sighed with relief. "Oh," Madeline said, lowering her weapons. "It's just the Americans."

"What is the matter with you people?" Jonathan exclaimed.

"Us? Damn it, you two scared us shitless!" Daniels hollered back.

"You know," Henderson pointed out, looking at Madeline. "You're an American too. I don't know why you're always callin' _us_ the Americans."

"Um…" Madeline started stuttering again. "Actually, I am not an American… exactly… I am an American-Egyptian. Yeah." She turned to Jonathan, a look of pain etched on her face. "Did I just say that?"

"I'm afraid so," he murmured.

"Fantastic," she whispered.

"Well, I hate to break up this highly intelligent chat you all are having," The Egyptologist announced snidely. "But we have work to be getting on with. Gentlemen?"

"You all find anything so far?" Daniels asked Madeline and Jonathan.

"Why, yes, as a matter of fact we have," Jonathan announced, drawing himself up rather proudly. "We have just uncovered a three thousand year old mummy, in excellent condition. Quite a rare find, quite a rare find indeed."

"You found a dead guy?" Daniels laughed uproariously, and both Henderson and Burns smirked. "Well, why don't you take a lookee here at what we found?"

They pulled out four beautiful white jars, covered in jewels. "Oh," Jonathan cried, sounding as though he were on the verge of an orgasm.

Madeline's mouth dropped. Then, recovering herself, she managed to blurt, "Those jars are ugly."

"Really, you think so?" Daniels asked. "Well, I guess we'll just have to see what the bidders back home got to say about 'em, won't we?"

"Well… I guess we'll just have to see what my foot says when it's up your ass," Madeline returned, rather stupidly.

Daniels laughed, walking away with his companions. "All I hear is jealousy," he called back over his shoulder.

Jonathan stared after them, his mouth wide open. Madeline glanced at him, then sighed and shook her head. "Are you drooling?" she asked.

"Huh – what?" Jonathan snapped back to reality, looking over at her. "Oh, um… little bit."

Madeline sighed again. "Jonathan, I swear, we have way too much in common. It's like you're me with a penis. Wait, you have a penis, right?" Madeline sighed and smacked her forehead with her palm. "Did I just ask you that? Why did I say any of that to you? Fuck my life."

"It's all right, old girl," Jonathan reassured her. "It's been a long day."

"Yeah, it's been a long day," Madeline agreed. "I can't believe they found those freaking jars! And what was with that giant book thing?"

"I don't know," Jonathan murmured. "I know the Book of Amun-Ra is supposed to be buried in the statue of Anubis, but that book is rumored to be made of pure gold. I can't be certain on this, but I think that was the Book of the Dead."

"What the hell is the Book of the Dead?" Madeline demanded.

"Well, according to..." Here, Jonathan trailed off.

"Evie?" Madeline supplied.

"Well... yes," Jonathan admitted. "According to Evie, the Book of the Dead contains ancient spells for protection of souls in the afterlife."

"Right," Madeline said, nodding. "Great then." She walked off in the direction the American dig team had disappeared, motioningto Jonathan to follow. "Let's get the hell out of here."

"I'm right behind you, old girl," Jonathan called, running after her. Enough was enough for one day.

* * *


	10. An Even Bigger Mistake

Tongue Tied

Rating: T

Disclaimer: I am not affiliated with the motion picture _The Mummy_. I wish I was, but sadly, I have no rights to anything. Please, please, _please_ don't sue me. I also have no money.

AN: Thanks to ForgottenStars, vampiremistress2sexy, Mariella D'Angelo, Evanesce, and OceanFae! Appreciate all the reviews, and here's another chapter for you!

* * *

Chapter 9: An Even Bigger Mistake 

Madeline sat in front of the fire later that night, next to Rick. Beside her brother sat Beni, in between him and Jonathan. Madeline wasn't quite sure what the spineless Frenchman was doing, hanging around people who clearly wanted nothing to do with him, but neither Rick nor Jonathan told him to leave, so Madeline decided to keep her mouth shut.

Daniels, Henderson and Burns took seats across from the other four, chuckling and looking very smug. Clearly, they had come over to rub their find in Rick's face.

"Say, O'Connell," Henderson announced, waving his jar at Rick. "What do you think these babies will fetch back home?"

"We hear you guys found yourself a nice, gooey mummy," Burns added, smirking. "Well, congratulations."

"You know, you dry that fellow out, you might be able to sell him for firewood," Daniels chuckled.

Rick returned the chuckle in a mocking fashion. "For your information," Madeline found herself saying. "Museums all across the world would pay damn good money to get their hands on that mummy. A hell of a lot more money than they would for those jars. Antiquities are much too common and far too easily counterfeited to incite their interest."

She wasn't exactly sure how she did it, but she somehow managed to sound like she knew what she was talking about. Of course, Madeline had no idea what she was talking about: her statement was pure bullshit. However, the three cowboy types seated across from her didn't know any better, and their smirks faded.

Henderson chuckled slightly. "Well, boys, I think she just showed us."

Madeline flushed. He was really good at embarrassing her, she was starting to notice. Determined not to ruin her small triumph, Madeline looked away from the cute blond, and didn't bother to say anything else.

"Look what I found!" she suddenly heard Evelyn call over to them as she made her way over to the fire. Madeline was relieved to have the spotlight focused on Evie instead of her for the moment.

"You're in her seat," Rick said to Beni. Beni laughed. "Now!" Rick ordered.

"Yep," Beni said, losing the smile and getting up for Evie. He made his way to the end of the log, where Madeline was sprawled out on the ground, looking like he intended on sitting next to her.

"Don't even think about it," she said before he could sit down. Beni walked over to the Americans and took a seat beside Daniels instead. There was no way in hell Madeline was going to sit next to Beni.

"Scarab skeletons!" Evie was saying as she sat down beside Rick. "Flesh eaters. I found them inside our friend's coffin."

Rick, Jonathan, and Madeline drew closer to her, staring at the large, dead beetles in her hand. "They can stay alive for years feasting on the flesh of a corpse," Evie continued. "Unfortunately for our friend, he was still alive when they started eating him."

"So somebody threw these in with our guy, and then they slowly ate him alive?" Rick asked incredulously. He wasn't the only one shocked. Henderson stared at Evie with sudden interest, Burns frowned as though he was a little scared by the idea, and Daniels wore a look of disgust. Madeline personally felt Daniel's pain.

"Very slowly," Evie replied, grinning wickedly.

That was it, Madeline decided. This girl was insane.

"Well, he certainly wasn't a popular fellow when they planted him, was he?" Jonathan interjected.

""Probably got a little too frisky with the pharaoh's daughter," Rick joked, giving Madeline and the Americans the eye.

Evie laughed slightly, but continued on with, "Well, according to my readings, our friend suffered the Hom-Dai, the worst of all ancient Egyptian curses, one reserved only for the most evil of blasphemers. In all of my research, I've never heard of this curse actually being performed."

"That bad, huh?" Rick asked.

"Yes, well, they never used it because they feared it so," Evie went on. "It's written that if a victim of the Hom-Dai should ever arise, he would bring with him the ten plagues of Egypt."

Madeline glanced over at the three Americans, who were still fondling their jars, but now wearing slightly nervous looks. She had no idea why they looked so concerned, but something told her that if they were worried, it could only mean bad news.

* * *

Later that night, Madeline tossed and turned in her spot by the fire. She couldn't sleep – in fact, she wasn't even tired. Maybe it was all the excitement that had occurred during the day, but she was far too wound up to even consider drifting off. 

She sighed heavily. "Rick," she murmured, looking over at her brother.

Without even opening his eyes, he replied. "Go back to sleep, Maddie."

"How can I go back to sleep when I haven't been asleep yet?" she retorted.

Her brother sighed, clearly not in the mood to deal with her. He still didn't open his eyes. "I'm not doing this right now, Maddie," he replied. "Go to sleep."

Madeline huffed. "Fine," she replied. "And don't call me Maddie."

"Good night, Madeline."

Madeline sighed again, and rolled over. After about five minutes of failing to fall asleep, she looked over at Jonathan. "Jonathan," she hissed.

Nothing. He didn't even stir.

"Jonathan? Jonathan!" she hissed, louder and more insistent. "Oh, come on, I'm bored. Wake up!"

Jonathan remained still. Madeline gave him a little shake, but he didn't respond. With a heavy sigh, Madeline gave up. Nothing short of a bomb going off was going to wake up Jonathan.

She got up, pausing only momentarily to look for Evie, who had disappeared. Not seeing her anywhere, Madeline shrugged her shoulders and walked over to the high wall around the city. She climbed up the old, crumbling rocks that were jutting out haphazardly like some kind of crazy staircase, and miraculously managed to get to the top of the wall without falling off. She took a seat on the top of the wall and looked out over the desert.

After a few minutes of just looking around, she caught sight of movement in the distance. Frowning, she squinted hard in the direction she'd thought she'd seen the movement. Maybe she was mistaken, but it looked like a group of people on horseback were riding toward the city.

Madeline suddenly remembered the words of the desert man she'd been gawking at during the battle of the night before. "You have one day," he had said. Well, their one day was up now, wasn't it? It looked like they were coming back to make good on their promise.

Madeline bit her lip. She should go back to camp and wake everyone up, she decided. But before she could act on that plan, she felt a sudden, loud wind blow past her, lifting her hair up in her face. Then she heard the Egyptologist scream, "No! You must not read from the book!"

Madeline whirled around, looking back in at the camp. It appeared that Evie had stolen the stuck up scholar's giant black book, and now her and Rick were bent over it, trying to read it. They looked up guiltily at the angry man.

That's when Madeline heard the roar behind her. She turned back to look out at the desert. The approaching horsemen had disappeared now, engulfed in what could only be described as a giant black cloud – and that giant black cloud was coming quickly their way. Madeline squinted at the approaching cloud. It looked like… grasshoppers? Beetles?_ Locusts_?

Madeline turned back to the camp. "Run!" she shouted. "Run! Go!"

Everyone started racing toward the tomb. Madeline leapt down off the wall, hitting the ground and rolling, and bounced back to her feet. Rick was staring at her. "Go! I'm coming!" she shouted, running towards him.

Rick nodded, and started running into the tomb behind everyone else. Madeline raced across the campsite. The locusts had made their way into the city and were swarming all over everything. The world around her was turning black. She swatted at the buzzing insects, running like mad toward the opening into the city. She was almost there when her eyes fell on the Americans' Egyptologist. He was staring straight ahead, clutching The Book of the Dead to his chest like a security blanket, covered in locusts, and not even bothering to brush them off.

She stopped, stared, attempted to ignore him and run for the tomb, and then cursed loudly as her conscience got the better of her and she found herself racing to his side. Why she felt the need to risk her life for a man she didn't even like was beyond her, but she couldn't just leave him to the bugs.

"Hey!" she exclaimed, giving him a slight shake. "Are you all right?"

"What have we done?" he asked nobody in particular, not even Madeline, still staring vacantly ahead.

Okaaay. He was clearly suffering some sort of nervous breakdown. Madeline didn't really have time to deal with this shit. "Come on," she exclaimed, tugging on his arm. She glanced around at the swarming locusts. "Come on!" she repeated.

He shook his head and sank further to the ground. Madeline gave him one last shake, and receiving no response, decided to let him fend for himself if that's the way he wanted it. She got back to her feet and continued her race to the tomb.

But before she could enter, a strong hand roughly gripped her arm and pulled her back. "You cannot go in there!" a heavily accented male voice shouted at her over the roar of the locusts.

"Why the hell not?" Madeline demanded, looking up and finding, to her surprise, that she was staring into the big brown eyes of the leader of the desert tribe that had been continually attacking her and her companions. "Uh… I mean…"

"It is not safe!" he yelled, cutting off what was sure to be an idiotic comment. He had to fight to be heard over the approaching insects.

Madeline looked at him like he was crazy. "Not safe? Uh, hello!" she exclaimed, not exactly intelligently, waving her arms at the hordes of locusts swarming around them.

With surprising patience, the desert man replied, "The first Plague of Egypt, correct? And who do you think brings these locusts?"

Madeline stared at him. Slowly, his argument absorbed into her head. "Walking... talking... mummy?" she asked, rather stupidly.

He nodded. "Precisely."

In her mind, Madeline cursed at herself for once again sounding like an idiot in front of the strange warrior. If he weren't so unexpectedly attractive, she wouldn't be stumbling over her words and piecing together sentences only a toddler would be proud of. It was always the same: handsome men made her incapable of forming coherent thoughts, and she suspected they always would. "Right… um… ok," she stuttered. "I… uh… guess I'm convinced."

The warrior looked appeased, and then began yelling to his men in Arabic. Madeline's Arabic was atrocious, and with the roar of the locusts – which were now crawling all over her, gross – deafening her, she could barely understand a word he said. Suddenly, however, it dawned on her that not only was there a walking talking mummy who embodied all evil in that tomb, but there was also an ex-legionnaire who was very related to her bumbling around the tomb as well.

"Rick!" she exclaimed, putting her hand to her mouth.

The desert man's attention snapped back to her. "What?"

"Oh, um… my, uh… my brother's in there!" she shouted over the locusts.

Understanding lit his eyes. He knew exactly what she intended to do. "Don't do it!" he shouted at her.

Madeline met his eyes and actually formed a decent sentence. "Thanks, but, uh… I'm going to do it."

She turned tail and ran for the tomb. "No!" the desert man yelled, lunging for her arm. He missed, however, and Madeline soon found herself inside the tomb.

It was dark and far too quiet. In the distance, she could hear running footsteps and occasional screams. She pushed on through the winding passages, determined to find her pain in the ass of a brother, and her pain in the ass of a new friend, and _his_ pain in the ass of a sister, and get them all out of Hamunaptra before whatever lurked within the tomb found them first.

Suddenly, nearby, she heard a loud shot ring out. She knew immediately who had fired the gun. "Rick?" she shouted, racing towards the sound.

She turned a corner and saw a young man, facing away from her, lying on the ground and moaning in agony. "Rick?" she asked, suddenly even more afraid than she had been. If that was her brother….

"Help me," the man muttered in a muffled voice, as though he were trying to talk around a sock.

It wasn't Rick. Madeline sighed with relief. It was one of those morons from the other dig, Burns, if she remembered correctly. "Hey, Burns?" she asked, approaching him carefully. "Are you all right?"

He turned wildly towards her voice and Madeline gagged. "Oh, shit!" she exclaimed. Burns was missing both his eyes.

"Help me," he repeated. "He took… he took my eyes, and he took my tongue."

His words were again muffled, but Madeline understood him well enough. "Damn it," she murmured, wondering what she had managed to get herself into this time. She knelt beside him. "Why me? Goddamn it, why _me_?"

"Please…."

Madeline snapped out of it. All right, she had to get the two of them out of the tomb. This was no time to freak out, no matter how disgusting Burns looked. "It's going to be all right, Burns," she said firmly, taking charge. "I'm getting you out of here."

"Thank you." He sounded hysterical. "Thank you."

Madeline helped the poor man to his feet and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. "By the way," she asked almost conversationally as she tried to support him out of the hall they were in. "Have you seen Rick?"

Again, his tone was almost hysterical. "He… left… me…"

"He left you?" asked Madeline in surprise. "That doesn't sound like Rick."

A loud, almost inhuman roar sounded from behind them. Madeline jumped and spun around, promptly dropping Burns back on the ground. "Oh my God!" she shouted.

"No," Burns moaned pathetically. "No…."

The mummy they had found was indeed alive and walking – and he had Burns' eyes newly placed in his head. The once dead man hissed something in ancient Egyptian at Madeline, and although she couldn't understand a word, she got the idea that he wasn't asking her about the weather.

"Well, that explains a lot," she murmured in a rather high pitched, hysterical tone, backing away from the undead creature that was purposefully approaching her. The mummy was growling low in his throat like a rabid dog as he came closer. Madeline reached into her holsters, pulled out both her pistols, and opened fire.

The monster went down, and Madeline made to go back for Burns – only to freeze and continue her backwards march when the mummy suddenly leapt back to his feet, apparently unscathed. He charged at her, and Madeline continued moving backwards, emptying her pistols into his decomposing body. Nothing stopped him. Her bullets ran out and in a last ditch effort, she threw her guns at the mummy. They bounced off harmlessly and he kept coming at her. Madeline's back hit the wall. She was trapped.

Just as she was about to really panic, a dark figure appeared beside her and an arm flew out at the mummy, a small birdcage swinging in the arm's hand. A tiny black kitten sat demurely in the cage – until it caught sight of the ugly, rotting mummy, and let out a frightened hiss. The mummy, to Madeline's surprise, let out a roar of fear, and dissolved into a cloud of dust that spun quickly down the opposite passageway.

Madeline turned to the kitten's owner in pure shock. Again, she found the desert man in black robes standing at her side. "Are you injured?" he asked.

Madeline blinked, feeling the stupidity returning. "Um… no… I… is that a kitten?"

"Get him out of here!" the man shouted in Arabic. Madeline swung her head in the direction he was yelling to see several of the desert man's black robed comrades lifting Burns from the ground and carrying him down the exit passage. The man beside her grabbed her by the arm and began pulling her down the passageway after them.

Madeline was in shock. She knew she sounded like an idiot, but she couldn't shut up. "What just happened?"

The man ignored her. "Seriously, did the mummy just run away from a kitten?" she asked. Again, she was ignored. "Why is he afraid of kittens?" She still received no answer and yet, she was still incapable of shutting up. "Why do you _have_ a kitten?"

Silently, the man dragged her back out of the tomb, accompanied by his men and their burden. Once they reached the outside, the man let go of her arm and began yelling in Arabic. Madeline looked around the dig site. The locusts had largely dissipated, and the Egyptologist was still on his knees, shaking yet unharmed, but that mattered little to her. What _did_ matter to her was the fact that neither Rick, Jonathan, nor Evelyn were anywhere to be seen.

She turned back to the desert man, who had stopped screaming in Arabic. "Um… thank you." She managed to get out.

He nodded. "You are welcome.

"You saved my life," Madeline continued. She winced at her idiotic comment. Way to state the obvious, moron. She took a deep breath. "I just found that odd because you _were_ trying to kill me, so… yeah, thank you."

"You already said that," he replied. Damn you, thought Madeline. You are not making this any easier.

Madeline stared at him a second longer, and then held out her hand. "I'm Madeline O'Connell," she announced.

He stared at her hand. Madeline stared back. A few seconds ticked by, possibly the longest seconds of her life. "Um… see, now you tell me your name and take my hand and then we shake each other's hands and that's how… that… works." Madeline's explanation faded away. She swallowed. God, she was being an idiot. "Um… it's an American thing… we do that in America when we meet people… we can do it the Egyptian way if you want… I don't know what that is exactly, but, um… I can find out… um… yeah…." Stop talking! She shouted in her head. Just stop talking before they declare you the village idiot!

His face contorted momentarily, and then he immediately composed himself. Great, Madeline thought. Now what? Is he going to have a seizure?

Suddenly, to her surprise, the desert man swung his hand up and grasped hers, giving it a firm shake. "My name is Ardeth Bay," he said, slightly inclining his head.

Madeline smiled. "So, uh… what… who are…" she trailed off, waving around at the other men, not really sure how to proceed with the question. Ardeth answered anyway.

"We are descendents of the Med-jai. Pharaoh's bodyguards," he explained. "And we have guarded this cursed ground for thousands of years, ensuring that the creature you saw tonight would never rise again. And for thousands of years we were successful – that is, until tonight."

Madeline swallowed. Oops. Boy, did he sound pissed.

Suddenly, she heard people approaching and swung around to see who was coming. Rick, Evelyn, Jonathon, Henderson and Daniels were running towards them. "Rick!" she shouted in relief.

Rick looked up at the sound of her voice, and she saw relief etched on his face as well. "Maddie!" he shouted back, running towards her. Madeline ran towards him too, and they met in a big bear hug. It wasn't until after the hug was over that Madeline realized how weird that moment was – the last time they'd hugged had been years ago – well, all right, maybe it had been last night, but she'd been drunk then, so that didn't really count. Either way, Madeline was surprised by the sudden show of affection.

Rick saw the Med-jai standing behind her and drew his guns. So did his companions. The Med-jai returned the gesture. "Keep away from my sister," he snarled.

"Rick, don't be an idiot," Madeline protested, trying to push down his gun. "They didn't do anything…."

"I told you to leave or die," Ardeth announced, interrupting her. "You refused. Now you may have killed us all. You have unleashed a creature we have feared for more than three thousand years."

"Relax, I got him," Rick returned.

"Actually, Rick…" Madeline attempted to interject, but Ardeth interrupted her again, as though she hadn't bothered to open her mouth.

"No mortal weapon can kill this creature. He is not of this world." He issued orders in Arabic after he finished his sentence and motioned to his men. They stepped forward and deposited a whimpering Burns at the feet of his two friends.

"You bastards!" Daniels shouted.

"What did you do to him?" Henderson demanded.

"They didn't do anything…." Madeline attempted to defend the Med-jai once more, but once more Ardeth interrupted her. Madeline was rather miffed. Apparently, Mr. Big Shot didn't need her to defend him. She was just going to shut up then.

"We saved him," Ardeth replied coldly. "Saved him before the creature could finish his work. Leave, all of you, before he finishes you all." He issued another order in Arabic, and his men marched off, him taking up the tail. "We must now go on the hunt and try to find a way to kill him."

"I already told you, I got him," Rick insisted.

"Know this," Ardeth snapped, turning to Rick. "This creature is the bringer of death. He will never eat, he will never sleep, and he will never stop."

The Med-jai disappeared. "Doesn't listen worth a damn, does he?" Rick said.

"Rick, you didn't kill the mummy," Madeline replied.

Rick looked at her. "What, now?"

"You didn't kill the mummy," she repeated. "I saw it after you shot it. And then _I_ shot it. A lot, actually. It didn't do a damn thing. The only reason Burns and I are here right now is because Ardeth saved our asses."

"Who the hell is Ardeth?" Rick asked.

"The leader of the Med-jai," Madeline returned. At her brother's blank face, she rolled her eyes and explained further, "The guy who just scolded you big time."

Rick looked reluctant to believe her, but he didn't respond. "We have to get out of here," Madeline announced. "Now! Or seriously, that thing is going to kill us! Let's go!"

No one argued with her. Apparently they were all just as anxious to get out of there as she was. Everyone hastily gathered only the most important of their belongings and clambered onto their camels, hurrying away from the city and into the night.

* * *


	11. A Camel and a Drunk

Tongue Tied

Rating: T

Disclaimer: I am not affiliated with the motion picture _The Mummy_. I wish I was, but sadly, I have no rights to anything. Please, please, _please_ don't sue me. I also have no money.

AN: Thanks to OceanFae, ForgottenStars, vampiremistress2sexy, Lindsay, Evanesce, and Mariella D'Angelo for the positive reviews! Made my day! Thanks again!

* * *

Chapter 10: A Camel and a Drunk

Ah, the camel. Madeline's greatest enemy. They'd joined in an unspoken truce when everyone had fled Hamunaptra. Madeline had been far too afraid of being murdered by a three thousand year old mummy to contemplate exactly how much she hated camels. However, this unspoken truce had only been temporary, and as soon as considerable distance had been put between the digging parties and the cursed city, the long withstanding grudge between Madeline O'Connell and camels everywhere returned in full force.

First, the camel decided to stop suddenly for absolutely no reason. It wasn't Madeline's fault, this she was sure of. Her traveling companions had slowed down long ago, and she with them. She hadn't even been touching the reins. Her camel must have just decided it was tired, and the middle of the freaking desert would be a great place to stop and take a breather.

Jonathan, of course, came to her rescue. "Madeline, what the bloody hell are you doing?" he asked.

Madeline glared at him out of the corner of her eye. "_I_ am not doing anything," she retorted. "This camel, however, is pissing me off."

Jonathan sighed, shaking his head at her and clucking his tongue. "Maddie, old girl," he announced. "You are hopeless."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," Madeline replied, rolling her eyes. "I'm hopeless, ha, ha! Let's everyone have a good laugh at Madeline! Now, if you're done, could you make the camel move, please?"

"All right, all right, don't get your panties in a twist," Jonathan exclaimed, smacking the camel with his crop. The camel started plodding forward. "Happy now?"

"Not really," Madeline said. "But thanks."

She focused on the moving beast beneath her with a furrowed brow and intense concentration. Any minute now, she was sure that this stupid animal was going to pull something else, and the end result would be her, on the ground, on her ass.

"You're not so good on that thing, are you?"

What the hell? Go _away_! Madeline could not believe this. Why exactly did Burt Henderson always feel the need to pop on over and say something to her every time she was in the midst of doing something embarrassing? He must be really enjoying himself. "Um… no… not really," Madeline replied, avoiding his eyes. She tried to sound annoyed, but everything just came out awkward.

He grinned. "You know," he said. "I'm real good with horses, but I ain't ever been on a camel before."

"Lucky you," Madeline replied, still not looking at him. This was good. As long as she avoided eye contact, she could sound like a normal person. That couldn't be too hard. It was like not looking directly at the sun.

He chuckled. "Can't say I like the looks of it," he went on. "But I've always been pretty good with animals, so maybe I'd do all right."

What was this? Was he trying to relate to her? Or was he rubbing her incompetence in her face? Madeline couldn't decide. She kind of wished he'd leave her alone, though. At least then, she could be embarrassed in relative private.

"Hey, I just want to thank you for what you did," he said suddenly.

Madeline frowned. What had she done? "Um… ok," she replied, not really sure what to say to that.

"It's just that Burns told me and Daniels you tried to help him," Henderson continued. "He said you weren't going to leave him behind. That's better than anyone else did for him."

Madeline's brow furrowed. She was confused. This didn't sound like he was making fun of her. This sounded sincere. Henderson kept talking. "That takes guts, helping someone else, and not just worrying about yourself, especially after seeing what we saw down in that tomb. So, thanks for trying to help my buddy."

Holy crap. He was serious. He was actually thanking her for… for what exactly? Madeline didn't remember doing anything special. She'd tried to help Burns out of the tomb, and then had dropped him like a hot potato. After dropping an injured man on the ground, she'd then proceeded to be corned by a three thousand year old mummy, failed to kill it, and then asked Ardeth Bay, leader of the Med-jai, about a million questions pertaining to kittens. But, hey, if he was impressed, that was his call. Madeline decided not to contradict him. "How's Burns doing, anyway?" she asked.

"As good as he can be doing," Henderson replied. "He's lost both his eyes, and his tongue. He's not a pretty sight. And I don't know what kind of life he's going to live after we get him back to civilization."

Madeline nodded. All right, stupid question. How was the eyeless, tongueless man doing? Badly. She probably could have figured that out on her own. "I'm sorry," she murmured.

"Hey, he's alive," Henderson shrugged.

Weird. She was having a conversation with Henderson. Was it possible that Madeline had entered an alternate universe where she wasn't a complete moron? "So what are you going to do when we get back?" she asked.

"Get Burns a doctor or something," he replied. "Then I suppose we'll get the hell out of Egypt. There was this curse thing, you know, on the chest we opened with the book in it? Chamberlain said that if this certain person was brought back to life, he was going to have to kill everyone who opened the chest in order to regenerate, or something like that. Guess that means the mummy you found back in there. Guess that means my ass, too."

Madeline crinkled her nose. "That sucks," she said. Ok, obvious observation. But what else do you say to someone who's just revealed they're being hunted by a walking, talking mummy?

He nodded. "Yeah, it sucks. What are you going to do?"

"Um… probably get really, _really_ drunk," Madeline replied.

He laughed. "Well that's a good idea if I ever heard one. You're American, right?"

"Well…. I guess so."

"You going to be headed back to America?"

Madeline shook her head. "No. I've lived here just about all my life. Egypt's… well, I guess it's my home."

He nodded again. "That's too bad," he said. "Guess I won't be seeing you anymore."

Madeline turned to look at him in shock. Henderson gave his horse a kick, and rode up to ride with Burns and Daniels.

What the hell? Did that just happen? Did Henderson actually just imply that he would miss her? Why would he miss her? It's not like she was exactly good company! She wasn't really company at all. She just kind of gawked at him and muttered strange phrases that only slightly resembled English.

"Madeline, what the hell are you doing?"

Madeline jumped about a foot in the air and nearly fell off her camel. Rick put out a hand to catch her and pushed her back up on the camel's back. "What is wrong with you?" Madeline demanded, glaring furiously at her older brother. "I thought you were the end of the world!"

"Sorry," Rick replied, giving her a small, amused grin. He nodded at Henderson. "So, uh, small tip? Probably shouldn't stare after men with your mouth wide open like that. It's pretty unattractive."

"Bite me," Madeline retorted.

Rick chuckled. Evie and Jonathan rode up alongside Madeline as well. What was this, she thought to herself. A group meeting? "We have to do something," Evie announced.

"What?" Madeline asked, frowning. She honestly had no idea what Evie was going on about now.

"We have to do something," Evie repeated urgently, staring at Madeline like she'd grown another head. "We can't let that monster… wreak… havoc on all creation! You heard the Med-jai leader: That mummy is the bringer of death!"

"What does that even mean?" Rick replied flippantly.

"Excuse me, Mr. O'Connell?" Evelyn exclaimed, shocked.

"I'm just saying, that wasn't exactly specific," he said, shrugging his shoulders.

"Mr. O'Connell," Evelyn said, drawing herself up indignantly. "Do you need specifics? Because if you do, I shall be glad to give them to you. We have unleashed a creature who will bring the ten plagues of Egypt down upon us all. He's already brought the first! Did you not see all those locusts?"

Rick sighed. "Look, Evelyn, I'm tired, hot, thirsty, and quite frankly a little freaked out. We'll talk about this when we get back to Cairo." Then he rode up ahead of them all, obviously finished with the whole conversation.

Madeline could quite clearly see that Evie was, for all intents and purposes, extremely pissed off. She turned on Madeline, who flinched away from her, expecting to get fire breathed in her face. "Is your brother always like this?" she asked, exasperated.

Madeline nodded, still a little scared of Evelyn Carnahan. "Uh-huh. He's a pain in the ass. Please don't hurt me."

Evie let loose a frustrated sigh, and gave her camel a good swat with her riding crop, following Rick with determination in her eyes. Madeline stared after the pretty young archeologist, with both admiration and apprehension. It was impressive that Evie was unafraid to take on Rick when he was in that mood, but then again, Madeline had done the same in years past, and it had always ended with a fight. A loud, angry, explosive fight. Madeline wanted no part of that mess.

"This is going to be a long ride back, isn't it?" Jonathan asked Madeline with a heavy sigh.

"Yep," Madeline agreed. "Very long."

* * *

Upon reaching Cairo, the American dig team separated from Madeline's group, presumably to find medical care for Burns. Every last one of the hired diggers for the American team had disappeared, and so had Rick's old pal, Beni. No one was surprised.

Evelyn led them all to her apartments in the British fort at Cairo. A stable hand came up to take their camels. Madeline slid down off her animal, grabbed her knapsack, and handed the lead over to the stable hand. She was most certainly _not_ going to miss that stupid camel.

Rick and Evelyn were arguing, and arguing loudly. So loudly, in fact, that they were attracting stares from passersby. Madeline was in no mood to listen to a shouting match. She hadn't been kidding when she told Henderson that once they'd reached Cairo, she planned on getting drunk.

"Madeline? Are you coming with?" Jonathan asked, seeing her looking off in the opposite direction from her companions.

Madeline looked at Jonathan, and then glanced over at the still shouting Rick and Evelyn. "Uh… no," she said. Then she turned and walked away.

Jonathan shrugged. "All right then, if you're sure!" he called after her. Madeline then heard him mutter under his breath, "Stark raving mad, the lot of them," as he followed Rick and Evie up to her apartments.

Madeline made her way into the fort and headed down to the establishment's bar. Loud, traditional music was playing. It was rather early in the day, and there was no one in the bar except a few local drunks, but Madeline knew she could still get served.

She sat down at the bar, dropping her bag at her feet, and slumping over the countertop. "What'll it be, miss?" the bartender asked.

Madeline looked up at the man in question. Mistake. He was really, _really_ attractive. He had green eyes, and long dark hair pulled back into a ponytail. Crap. How was she going to order now?

With a steadying breath, Madeline remembered how she managed to talk to Henderson in the desert. She looked down at the counter, avoiding the bartender's eyes. "I'll have a shot of whiskey," she announced.

"What kind of whiskey?"

"I don't care. Strong whiskey. The strongest whiskey you have," Madeline replied.

"All right, miss," the man replied, turning away to get her drink.

"Wait," she called.

The man stopped and looked at her.

"Keep them coming," she said.

He nodded, and went about fetching her shot.

Madeline sighed heavily. She waited for her shot with ever increasing impatience. After what felt like eternity, the bartender returned with a shot of whiskey and placed in front of her.

Madeline grabbed the shot glass and tossed the liquor down her throat. It burned all the way to her stomach. Now life would be good again.

The bartender looked like he was going to go away. "Hey!" she said, stopping him. "Another one."

"Already?" the bartender asked, frowning.

"Yeah, already. Get me another one," Madeline returned. The bartender filled her up, and then walked away.

Madeline threw the second shot down her throat, smiling as the whiskey burned its way down. "Why Miss Maddie O'Connell!" a British accent sounded happily in her ear.

Madeline looked up. "Winston!" she exclaimed. In spite of everything, nothing made her happier than to see his smiling face.

Winston Havelock was an elderly, pudgy man, with great bushy white hair and moustache, and a face that was always red from drinking. He and Rick were army buddies, for lack of a better term. They'd met during the brief time that Rick had served the British troops. He hadn't done much during his service – mostly worked guard duty at the fort – but he _had_ met Winston Havelock. Winston was great company, and he'd taken a liking to Madeline. He treated her like a favorite niece or something. Madeline always had time for the old man, even if he did get on Rick's nerves occasionally.

"How is my favorite girl on this fine morning?" Winston asked, taking the seat beside her.

"Oh, I'm all right now," Madeline returned, waving her shot glass at him. She winked at the old man, and he laughed heartily.

"Oh, yes, when you're younger it does seem to make it all go away," he said in a reflective tone. "But as you grow older, well – it still helps, but it's slightly less fulfilling."

Madeline didn't quite follow that sentence. Since she was only on her second shot, she decided Winston was the drunk one, not her.

"What are you drinking, Maddie?" he asked.

Winston Havelock _always_ called her Maddie. And he was the only person in the world that didn't annoy the piss out of her when he did so.

"Whiskey," she said with a grin. "Like always."

"That's my girl," he chuckled. "You find something that suits you and you stick with it, that's the key to happiness. Ah, yes," he grinned. "How about I buy your drinks for you today, Maddie?"

"Oh, no, Winston, I can't let you do that."

"Oh, you always say that, and still I end up buying them for you, every time. Now, I won't hear your objections!" Winston flagged down the bartender, who returned to their end of the counter. "A bottle of whiskey, my good sir, the same as this young lady's been drinking, for me and the lady to split."

The bartender gave the two of them a wary eye, but he filled the order anyway. Winston poured them each a shot. "Drink up, my dear!" he exclaimed, throwing back the shot.

Madeline followed suit. "Thank you, Winston," she smiled. "I've had the past couple of days from hell."

"Oh, tosh," Winston chortled, waving his hand at her. "It can't be all that bad."

"Oh, they were pretty bad," Madeline replied.

"Now, I'm sure whatever nasty old boss you have, or crummy customer you dealt with, or even any of those pesky man troubles, will eventually all come to pass," Winston said reassuringly, patting her on the shoulder. "And then you'll be wishing for the days when you weren't quite so bored! I know; I've been down that road before, Maddie my dear. Let me tell you…."

Madeline smiled to herself, taking another shot. She was about to hear every single war story Winston Havelock had to tell. The fact that she'd heard them all before – on several occasions – meant very little to her. All that mattered was, for the next hour or so, she wasn't going to have to think about that monster they'd left back at Hamunaptra.

* * *

"… I just wish I could have chucked it in with the rest of them, and gone down in flame and glory" Winston was saying, his story winding down. "Instead of sitting around here, rotting of boredom and booze."

That was the way every last story Winston Havelock had ended. He'd only told two so far, and it had nearly taken an hour. That was because he kept getting sidetracked by the pouring of shots, and the drinking of shots, and then, of course, by the prostitute he'd waved over halfway through the first story. Her name was Acenath, and she was a pretty woman with curly black hair, but she was also extremely fat, and her clothes were sheer and black. She laughed at everything Winston said, and sat massaging his shoulders.

"Well, Winston, maybe someday soon you'll get your chance," Madeline said comfortingly – and, rather drunkenly. She wasn't falling on the floor, pea her pants drunk, but she was past the point of tipsy, she was sure. All she had to do was stand up, and she'd be screwed.

"This world no longer has a place for men like me," Winston raved on. He was much drunker than Madeline. "All the men like me died long ago, shot down in the sky, and buried in the sand! And they were good chaps! You know that? Such good chaps! I wish I'd gone with them."

"Don't say that," Madeline replied, smiling at the elderly gentleman. "Then I'd never have met you!"

"Yes, and I would have never met you!" Winston agreed. "Maddie, my dear, I always do have the most splendid time with you. I know it's difficult to listen to an old man and his stories all the time, especially for a young person…"

"No it is not!" Madeline interrupted. "I love your stories."

"Ah yes, and I love your company!" he exclaimed, grinning widely and drunkenly. "And I think I love this lovely young woman as well!" he exclaimed, turning to Acenath. "Acenath, my dear girl, why don't you come here and have a seat on my lap?"

Acenath laughed. "I don't think I'll fit," she replied in rather stilted English.

That's when Winston's head dropped down on Acenath's chest. And Madeline, although she _had_ been enjoying herself, decided it was time to leave.

"Well, Winston," she exclaimed, getting to her feet. Winston looked up from his new companion. "I think I'll have to leave you now. Thanks for the whiskey."

"Any time, Maddie, my dear!" he laughed, waving good bye. Then he returned to the company of Acenath.

Madeline swayed slightly as she turned away from the couple. She knew it would be bad once she stood up. She half stumbled out of the bar. On her way out, she ran into one of the employees. She grabbed him by the arm. "Excuse me," she said. "Where the hell does Evelyn Carnahan live?"

The man gave her directions to Evie's compartments, and Madeline managed to make her way up to the librarian's lodgings. She stood outside the door and took a deep breath. "All right, Madeline," she said to herself. "You are drunk, and it is the middle of the day. No one can notice this. You must _compose_ yourself." Madeline snorted with laughter. "Ok, ok, that's not _that_ funny, stop it! Composure, woman, _composure_. Ok." Madeline squared her shoulders and walked into Evie's apartments.

The first thing she heard was Rick and Evie yelling at one another in the next room. Jonathan was sitting on the windowsill, playing with his trinket. "Are they still at it?" she asked.

"Like cats and dogs," Jonathan replied rather glumly.

Madeline took a seat at the table. She didn't feel like she was going to fall down, but one could never be too careful. "Let me guess," she said. "Rick wants to leave. Evie wants to stay and fight the evil mummy. Rick wants her to leave with him. Evie wants him to stay with her."

"That pretty much sums it up, old girl," Jonathan sighed, sitting down across the table with her. "I don't think I can take much more of this."

"Join the club, Jonathan," Madeline returned.

They sat there in silence for a few moments, listening to Rick and Evie shout. "Do you want to go get a drink?" Jonathan asked.

Madeline didn't really need a drink. But she _did_ want one. "You got it," she said. The two of them got to their feet and walked out the door. Madeline shut the door behind her and nearly fell in the hallway.

"Are you all right?" Jonathan asked.

"Oh, yeah," Madeline half giggled. "I'm fine, I just lost my balance!" She steadied her self on the door, straightened up, swayed slightly, and then made her way towards the staircase.

"You're already drunk, aren't you?" Jonathan asked.

Madeline squinted at him, holding up her fingers a few centimeters apart. "Just a teensy little bit."

Jonathan stared at her, and then shrugged, draping an arm across her shoulders. "Well, old girl, if I'm anything, it's an enabler." And then the two of them stumbled down the stairs and headed for the bar.

* * *


	12. A Drunk and a Mummy

Tongue Tied

Rating: T

Disclaimer: I am not affiliated with the motion picture _The Mummy_. I wish I was, but sadly, I have no rights to anything. Please, please, _please_ don't sue me. I also have no money.

AN: And a big thank you to ForgottenStars, OceanFae, Lindsay (by the way, awesome celebrity couple name), vampiremistress2sexy, Ravenclaw Samurai, and Evanesce! You guys rule! Oh, and a small note to OceanFae: What the hell, man? You can't tell me something like that and then _not_ explain the dream! Now, I'm curious.

Thanks again to everyone! Here's the next chapter:

* * *

Chapter 11: A Drunk and a Mummy 

Upon entering the fort bar, Madeline forced herself to walk like a normal person, instead of an idiot drunk. In the corner of the room, she saw Winston and Acenath sitting together, still sharing that same bottle of whiskey. Madeline turned away from them, hoping Winston wouldn't notice her. She enjoyed Winston's company, she really did, but the last thing she needed to see was Winston amusing himself with a prostitute.

Jonathan strode up to the counter and took a seat, and Madeline plopped down next to him. "Excuse me, bartender!" Jonathan called to the young man behind the bar. "A bottle of your best whiskey, if you please!"

The bartender retrieved the requested liquor and set it down in front of Jonathan. As Jonathan shelled out the desired payment, the bartender looked over at Madeline and raised his eyebrow. "Back again?" he asked.

Madeline narrowed her eyes. Sober Madeline O'Connell would have laughed nervously and said something stupid, while turning red and looking at the floor. But drunk Madeline O'Connell was unafraid of attractive men, and didn't mind telling them what she thought about their snide comments. "Don't you judge me," she snapped. "Just because you're all cute and have pretty green eyes and can _somehow_ avoid the temptation to get drunk while bartending – which I don't even think is a good thing, quite frankly, I think it makes you a freak. And furthermore, I don't particularly care for your customer service. I think you have a bad attitude. So you just quit that judging me business before I ask to speak to your manager."

The bartender gave her the look most attractive men gave Madeline – the look that said 'Okaaay, crazy lady,' – and then he walked away.

Madeline harrumphed. "The nerve," she grumbled.

Jonathan was staring at her, amazed and amused. "Maddie, old girl," he announced, pouring them each a shot. "From now on, when I drink, I will drink only with you."

"Here, here, buddy!" Madeline replied, clinking her shot glass with his. Then she swallowed the whiskey, giving only a slight twinge and cough.

Jonathan smirked, and then drank his shot as well. "I honestly have never been quite so depressed in my life," he announced.

"Oh, I know how you feel," Madeline returned. "Or rather, I did, about seven or eight shots ago. Now, life is good, mummy or no mummy. See, that's what I don't understand. Why don't more people drink away their problems?"

"I couldn't tell you," Jonathan replied. "But I've always found alcohol to be an excellent solution to all mine."

"Precisely," Madeline agreed, nodding. "Which is why you ought to hurry up and pour us a couple more shots, Jonathan my friend."

"Will do," Jonathan agreed, pouring them two more shots. Madeline and Jonathan drank them down as quickly as they had been poured. "Madeline, old girl," Jonathan said in an almost paternal tone. "Not that I disapprove of your heavy drinking – in fact, I quite admire it – but perhaps you ought to slow down. Eight or nine shots of whiskey is quite a lot. I don't want to be holding your hair."

"Jonathan," Madeline retorted. "I will go as fast as I want to. If you don't want to hold my hair, that's your business, buddy."

"All right then," Jonathan replied, apparently unconcerned, pouring them two more shots.

The two of them drained their shot glasses. Suddenly, Rick took a seat at the bar on the other side of Jonathan. Winston Havelock was right behind him. "You know, O'Connell, ever since the end of the Great War, there hasn't been a single challenge worthy of a man like me," the elderly man was saying drunkenly.

"Well, we all got our little problems today, don't we, Winston?" Rick replied, motioning for Jonathan to pour him a shot. Jonathan followed orders.

"I just wish I could have chucked it in with the others and gone down in flame and glory, instead of sitting around here, rotting of boredom and booze," Winston continued as Jonathan poured shots for Madeline and himself as well. "Cheers," he said, taking Jonathan's shot – to the obvious annoyance of Jonathan – and throwing it back at the same time as Madeline and Rick. Then he gave Madeline a huge hug, who returned the gesture warmly. "It was, as always, a treat to see you, Maddie, my dear," he chuckled.

"Same to you, Winston," Madeline returned with a bright smile.

Winston gave Rick and Jonathan heavy pats on the back. "Well," he laughed. "Back to the airfield! Ha-ha!" Then, smiling merrily, he stumbled back to where Acenath was waiting for him at the door.

Jonathan poured three more shots. "Tell me," Rick said to Jonathan. "Has your sister always been…?"

"Oh yes," Jonathan interrupted knowingly. "Always."

"Oh please," Madeline announced, and far too loudly. "Like you're not going to stay and help Evie fight the undead mummy thing! You wouldn't really leave! You like her far too much. Admit it, you ass. You're not going anywhere, and we _all_ know it."

Rick gave his younger sister an incredulous look. "Are you drunk?"

Madeline's eyes widened in what could only be described as an 'Oh, shit' look. "Only a teensy-weensy little bit," she replied in a wincing manner, holding her fingers a few centimeters apart.

"Well," the voice of Henderson sounded suddenly. He and Daniels came up on either side of the three others. "We're all packed up, but the damn boat don't leave till tomorrow morning."

"Tail set firmly between your legs, I see," Jonathan returned, swallowing his shot.

"Yeah, you can talk," Henderson retorted. "You don't have some sacred walking corpse after you."

Madeline froze up. Henderson was really, really close to her. She decided to avert her attention to the other end of the bar. Daniels was sitting there, ignoring everyone, and doing shot after shot. "Hey!" Madeline called down to him, grinning like an idiot. "You're hitting the bottle as hard as I am!"

Daniels ignored her. "How's your friend?" Rick asked him. He too, it seemed, had noticed Daniels' drinking.

"He had his eyes and his tongue ripped out," Daniels returned rather bitterly. "How would you be?"

Daniels walked away. "Somebody's upset," Madeline murmured in a sing-song voice.

"Yeah, well," Henderson said. "He and Burns were real close."

"Jonathan," Madeline announced, turning to her pal. "Another, if you please."

Jonathan poured both her and himself another shot. "Don't you think you've had enough, Madeline?" Rick asked.

Madeline drew her shot towards her protectively. "You keep away from my whiskey," she said fiercely.

Rick sighed and shook his head. Madeline bumped her shot glass against Jonathan's and then poured the drink down her throat.

"I could do with one of those," Henderson admitted.

"Well, then, why didn't you say so?" Madeline asked, a little too loudly. "Jonathan, fill him up!"

"Whatever you say, Maddie, old girl," Jonathan returned, trying to be cheery. He poured the blond American a shot, and Henderson drank it down like he was dying of thirst.

"Thanks," he murmured.

"Don't mention it," Jonathan replied. "In fact, I'd say we could all do with one more, don't you? How's about it? To your voyage!"

"Madeline doesn't get one," Rick ordered.

"The hell I don't," Madeline snorted, taking the bottle from Jonathan and pouring her shot herself. Rick sighed in exasperation.

Jonathan poured shots for Rick, Henderson, and himself. The four of them raised their glasses and clinked them together. "Good luck," Rick announced.

They emptied their shot glasses into their mouths – and then promptly spit their whiskey back out on the floor. Everyone else in the bar did the same. "What the hell was that?" Madeline exclaimed. "That was disgusting!"

"It… it tasted like…" Henderson stuttered.

"Blood," Rick finished for him, standing and dropping his shot glass. It fell to the floor and shattered on impact.

Madeline saw that her older brother was staring at the fountain in the center of the room. The water had turned bright red.

"And the rivers and waters of Egypt ran red, and were as blood," Jonathan recited.

"He's here," Rick announced. He turned to Madeline. "You, stay here," he ordered. Then he turned to Jonathan. "You, watch her." With that, Rick was racing out of the bar.

"Wait!" Madeline exclaimed. "You can't leave me behind!" Then she got to her feet and raced after Rick.

"Madeline, wait! I'm supposed to… you're supposed to… oh, well." Jonathan gave up.

Rick was running out of the fort into the courtyard. Drunk as she was, Madeline managed to keep up with him, although she did knock quite a few things (not to mention people) over. "Rick!" she exclaimed, finally reaching him and grabbing his arm.

Rick stopped and rounded on her. "What the hell are you doing?" he demanded. "Didn't I tell you to stay there?"

Madeline snorted. "And you thought I would? Since when do I do anything you say?"

Rick sighed, exasperated. He sure was making that noise a lot, Madeline thought to herself. "Wasn't Jonathan supposed to be watching you?" he asked.

Madeline snorted again. "Yeah, well, here's the thing, Rick: you asked _Jonathan_ to watch me. I mean, come on, I'm _drunk_, and even _I_ knew _that_ wasn't going to work."

Another exasperated sigh on Rick's end of the conversation. "Hey," Madeline exclaimed, pointing. "There goes Evie!"

Rick turned and followed Madeline's finger with his eyes. Sure enough, there was Evie, walking along the courtyard with her nose in a book. "Evelyn!" Rick exclaimed, racing to her side. Madeline followed, her shins narrowly missing a large flower pot. "Oh, Evelyn!"

Evelyn stopped and turned to face the approaching O'Connell family. "Oh," she murmured nonchalantly. "Are you still here?"

Madeline snorted. "Ha!" she exclaimed drunkenly. "Did you actually think Rick was going to _leave_? He's way too big a sucker for _that_!"

Rick glared at his sister. Evelyn, who had been standing directly in front of Madeline's mouth, made a face and stumbled backwards like someone had shoved her. Madeline supposed that was because Evie could smell the whiskey on her breath. Hmm, maybe she should dig up a mint or something. "Have you been drinking?" Evie asked.

"Teensy little bit," Madeline replied, squinting and holding up her fingers just a few centimeters apart.

"Ignore her," Rick interjected. "We've got problems."

Suddenly, above the courtyard, loud explosions sounded. Rick, Madeline, and Evie turned to look and saw streaks of fire shooting across the sky. The fire balls made landing, lighting plants, decorations, and people on fire. "Well, would you look at that?" Madeline declared, sounding mildly entertained. "The sky's on fire!"

Rick grabbed Evelyn's arm and started running for cover. "Go!" he shouted.

"Oh, are we running now?" Madeline asked, although no one was listening to her. She followed her two companions with speed but not haste, far too drunk to be concerned about the fact that it was raining fire.

The three of them rushed up the stairs towards Evie's apartments. A loud explosion sounded as they mounted the staircase, and then their route up the steps was cut off by the timely arrival of Rick's old pal, Beni.

Rick grabbed Beni by the shirt and slammed him into the wall. "Beni, you little stinkweed, where have you been?" he exclaimed.

Beni didn't get a chance to reply. A loud, raspy roar sounded from up the stairs, resembling the wind in some ways, but at the same time sounding chillingly inhuman. Rick, Madeline and Evie started and looked in the direction the noise had come from. Beni seized the opportunity to run while they were distracted. Madeline, however, being at the bottom of the stairs, noticed his retreat, and very casually stuck her leg out, tripping Beni, and causing the odious man to fall, tumbling down the last few steps. "Ha!" she exclaimed triumphantly.

Beni scrambled to his feet and continued running. Madeline turned to Rick and Evelyn to find them already racing up the steps. "Hey! Wait for me!" she called, chasing after them.

The three of them reached the top of the steps and tore down the corridor towards the apartments. They burst into the rooms Evie had let to the Americans, Rick and Madeline both holding their pistols at the ready. Before them, Burns lay in his chair, no longer himself, but a brown, distorted mummy wearing his dressing gown. He was dead.

"Oh, that's disgusting!" Madeline exclaimed drunkenly.

At the fireplace, the monster from Hamunaptra writhed and twisted, his flesh and muscles growing back, although not entirely. He turned to look at the three newcomers with a roar, his face just as ugly and decomposed as it had been in the tomb.

"We are in serious trouble," Rick announced.

Madeline holstered her pistols and ran off into the apartments. "Here, kitty, kitty," she shouted.

"Madeline!" Rick exclaimed incredulously. "What the hell are you doing, trying to save the cat?"

The mummy took this opportunity to charge Rick and Evelyn, and Rick opened fire. The bullets went right through the rotting corpse, shattering the vases on the mantel behind the monster, and did absolutely nothing to harm or stop him. The mummy continued his charge, and lifted Rick off the ground with a roar, throwing him at the door. Rick landed on top of Jonathon, Daniels, and Henderson, who had just run inside. The four of them collapsed in a heap.

Evelyn looked frightened out of her wits. The mummy advanced on her, and she backed into the wall, her eyes darting over to Rick in a plea for him to save her. "Anck-su-namun," the mummy breathed, his long, crackling fingers seizing a lock of Evelyn's hair. Then he said something in Ancient Egyptian, and his lips came down towards hers. Evelyn shrank back, pressing herself against the bookshelf behind her, absolutely horrified.

"Hey, maggot breath!" Madeline exclaimed.

The mummy whirled around. "Meow!" she quipped, holding Evelyn's white cat up in his face.

The mummy moaned and wailed in fear, spinning into a tornado of dust, and vanishing out the open window.

Evelyn stared at her rescuer in shock. "What did you do?" she asked.

Madeline grinned. "I scared him away with a kitty, didn't I, kitty?" Here, she turned to cat, and started talking baby talk. "Huh, little kitty? Yes, that's a good little kitty."

The cat squirmed in her hands. "All right, all right," Madeline said, placing the cat on the floor. The animal scampered away.

"Yes," Evelyn agreed. "But how did you know that would work?"

Madeline shrugged, snorting with a little bit of good old drunken laughter. "I don't know," she replied. "That's how Ardeth saved me and Burns from the dead guy back at Hamunaptra. I figured it was worth a shot." She turned to the four men sprawled in the doorway and frowned. "What the hell are you idiots doing on the ground?" she asked.

Rick gave her a dirty look, and then turned to Evie. "We are in _very_ serious trouble," he announced.

Rick, Jonathan, Henderson, and Daniels got slowly to their feet. "I think," Evie said, taking a steadying breath. "That we need help."

"Yeah, that's an understatement," Rick retorted.

"I know of only one person who could possibly help us," she went on. "And he's at the museum."

"Oh, man, we have to go to the museum?" Madeline asked in a drunken whine.

"All right," Rick announced, taking charge of the situation. He pointed at Madeline. "You, quiet. You," here he pointed at Jonathan. "Watch my idiot of a sister. You," here he pointed at Evie. "Lead the way."

* * *


	13. A Drunk Goes to the Museum

Tongue Tied

Rating: T

Disclaimer: I am not affiliated with the motion picture _The Mummy_. I wish I was, but sadly, I have no rights to anything. Please, please, _please_ don't sue me. I also have no money.

AN: Thanks to Ocean Fae, ForgottenStars, and vampiremistress2sexy for the reviews! Here's chapter 12:

* * *

Chapter 12: A Drunk Goes to the Museum

Once the sky had stopped raining fire on Cairo, Madeline, Rick, Evie, Jonathan, Henderson, and Daniels headed for the Cairo Museum. The museum was only a short walk from Fort Brydon, and the six of them walked quickly and quietly, determined to get some answers to their ever multiplying number of questions.

At least, most of them were quiet. Madeline, however, was still drunk. Extremely drunk. That's not to say that she had been chattering non-stop since they'd left the fort. She may have been drunk, but even she could pick up on the serious atmosphere hanging around her mostly sober companions (she had her doubts, however, that Jonathan was _completely_ sober) and since it was no fun to be loud alone, she kept her mouth shut. But her attempts to be quiet didn't necessarily guarantee her silence.

As the group climbed the grand front steps to the Cairo Museum, Madeline stumbled drunkenly and nearly did a face plant on the stairs. Henderson reached out and caught the clumsy drunk, helping her steady herself. "Are you all right?" he asked.

Madeline looked up at him, far too drunk to be concerned about embarrassing herself. She smiled at him and patted his chest. "You know, you are really, _really_ attractive," she announced.

Henderson stared at her like she'd just lost an eye or something. Not bothered at all by his response, Madeline turned away from him and continued her trek up the front steps. Jonathan appeared at her side, placing his hand on her back, most likely hoping to prevent another stumble. "Maddie, old girl," he said quietly. "I think you might need to, uh… _evaluate_ your thoughts before you go and say them out loud."

Madeline didn't pay any attention to this sage advice. She wanted more alcohol, and it had just occurred to her that Jonathan carried a flask. A brilliant idea popped into her head.

She pretended to stumble a second time, and Jonathan instinctively caught her. Madeline fell against his chest, placing her hand on his jacket in an attempt to steady herself, and then, very sneakily, drew his flask out of the interior pocket of his jacket, stealthily sliding the contraband into her belt and covering it with her shirt. Jonathan didn't notice the theft, and helped her right herself. "Are you all right?" he asked her.

Madeline grinned wickedly. "Perfect," she replied.

They had entered the museum, and were headed towards the curator's office. "Are you sure this guy can help us?" Rick asked Evie.

"I'm not entirely sure of anything anymore," she countered. "But that monster doesn't seem about to leave us alone, and at this point, I'm willing to try anything."

Madeline fell to the back of the line. No one was paying attention to her, and she was going to use the time to sneak some sips from Jonathan's flask.

"He really does seem to have it in for these guys," Jonathan observed, jerking his thumb at Henderson and Daniels.

"Yeah, don't remind us," Henderson retorted.

"But he did seem to like Evie, though."

"Yeah," Rick agreed. "What's that all about?"

"Well, like I said," Evie murmured, approaching the door to the curator's office. "There's only one person I know who can give us any answers."

The assembled party turned and entered the curator's suite, only to find him in conversation with none other than Ardeth Bay.

"You!" Evie exclaimed.

Rick, Henderson, Daniels, and Jonathan all drew their guns. Madeline, however, did not. "Hey!" she exclaimed, walking farther into the room than anyone else had. "Look! It's Ardeth! What's going on, buddy?"

It was hard to tell who was more shocked: Madeline's companions, or Ardeth and the curator. Madeline was oblivious to the strange looks everyone was giving her. She turned back to her companions, and finally noticed they had all pulled their guns. "What the hell are you idiots doing?" she asked. "Put your freaking guns down! They're on _our_ side, _hello_!"

No one made a move to follow her advice. They just continued to stare at her like she'd lost her mind. Madeline turned back to Ardeth and the curator. "I'm sorry," she announced in an extremely loud whisper. "I tried, but they're not listening to me, because I'm _drunk_!"

Ardeth's face contorted, much like it had outside the tomb back at Hamunaptra. Madeline frowned. Seriously, what was wrong with his face? Before she could put forward this question, however, Evie spoke up. "What is _he_ doing here?" she asked the curator.

"Well, Miss Carnahan," the curator replied dryly. "Do you really want to know, or would you prefer to just shoot us?"

Madeline raised her eyebrow at her companions. The man had a point.

Rick, surprisingly, was the first to decide to be reasonable. "After what I just saw," he said, holstering his guns. "I'm willing to go on a little faith here."

The other three men also lowered their guns. "Oh, sure," Madeline said from the side. "_Now_ you put your guns down. I swear, no one ever listens to me!"

"Madeline," Rick exclaimed, finally losing his patience. "Would you not?"

Madeline frowned. "Would I not what?"

Rick rolled his eyes. "Talk," he replied.

"Jackass," Madeline retorted.

"Well, I'm going to guess everyone here knows what happened back at Hamunaptra," Evie announced.

"If by 'what happened back at Hamunaptra' you mean that you six morons unleashed the greatest evil of all time on the rest of the world, then yes," the curator sniped. "Everyone here _does_ know what happened back at Hamunaptra."

"Well, then I suppose you know why I've come to see you," Evie pushed on, unabashed by his sarcastic comment. "This thing has to be stopped, and since I'm the one who woke him up, I intend to do it. But first, I'm going to need some answers."

The curator sighed heavily. "Very well," he conceded. "This way."

The group followed the curator into his sitting room, which was a very elaborate set up, decorated with artifacts uncovered in ancient tombs that hadn't been deemed nice enough for the exhibits. Madeline, in all her drunken glory, walked into the room, tripped over the base of a statue near the entrance, and somehow managed to fall right into Ardeth.

To his credit, all he did was grab her before she hit the floor, and then stand her up straight. He did it with surprising ease, and without any assistance from her. Madeline frowned at him. "Wow," she giggled slightly. "You are _really_ strong."

Madeline thought she caught a slight facial contortion, but she couldn't be sure that time. "Thank you," was all he said.

"This way, Maddie," Jonathan murmured in a rather patronizing tone, taking her by the arm and leading her over to a model of an ancient Egyptian archer riding in a chariot. He set her down at the base, and Madeline let him. It was probably a good idea for her to sit down, after all. She'd nearly fallen three times. Oh, wait, no, only two. The second one had been on purpose. The memory of that particular fall made her smile. In the words of Winston Havelock, ha-ha! She had Jonathan's flask.

The curator took a seat in a large arm chair nearby the archer, and Ardeth stood next to him. Rick plopped down in another chair by the archer, and Henderson and Daniels placed themselves on the other side of the room. Evie, however, was already pacing.

"Who is this man?" she demanded. "And why was he condemned?"

"The creature was once a man called Imhotep," the curator announced. "He was the high priest of Seti I. And he was condemned for loving Seti I's mistress. No other man was allowed to touch her. When their affair was discovered, Imhotep and his lover murdered the pharaoh, and then Imhotep ran while Seti's mistress killed herself."

Madeline snorted from her seat on the platform. "What an idiot."

Everyone stared at her. "What?" she asked. When she got no response, she said, as though excusing herself, "I'm drunk."

"Imhotep took his lover's body from her crypt," the curator continued, giving Madeline a displeased eye. "And he carried her to Hamunaptra, where he and his priests removed The Book of the Dead from its hiding place, and summoned her soul back from the underworld."

"But the Med-jai stopped him," Ardeth said, taking up the story. "And Imhotep was sentenced to endure the Hom-Dai."

"Yes, yes, I know all about the curse," Evie rushed him.

"Then you know that the creature is a plague on this earth," Ardeth returned. "You know that he will not stop until he has destroyed everything and enslaved everyone. You know that he carries with him the ten plagues of Egypt. And yet, you still saw fit to read from the Book!"

"Well, in her defense," Madeline interjected drunkenly. "Evie didn't know what she was doing when she read from the Book. I mean, Miss Evelyn Carnahan doesn't believe in fairy tales and hokum. Miss Evelyn Carnahan only believes in what she can see and touch. So, yeah, her bad, but she didn't _mean_ to destroy the world."

Evie frowned at her. "Are you mocking me or defending me?"

"No matter what her intentions were, the result remains the same," Ardeth barreled on mercilessly.

Evie rolled her eyes. "Yes, yes, I know, I made a mistake. I've told you, I mean to correct it."

"I have a little curiosity of my own that I'd like satisfied," Jonathan announced. "Exactly how do you two blokes know all this anyhow?"

Madeline turned to Jonathan. "He's a descendent of the Med-jai," she whispered loudly, as though she were answering the question.

Jonathan looked at Ardeth questioningly. "That's right," Ardeth admitted, nodding. "I am."

"Right," Jonathan said. "And could you elaborate on that, please?"

"We are part of an ancient secret society," the curator thundered. "For over three thousand years, we have guarded the City of the Dead. Sworn at manhood to do any and all in our power to stop the High Priest Imhotep from being reborn into this world."

"And now, because of you, we have failed," Ardeth added.

Wow, he really wasn't letting go of that, was he, Madeline thought to herself.

"And you think this justifies the killing of innocent people?" Evie retorted.

"To stop this creature? Let me think," the curator replied rather sarcastically. Both he and Ardeth answered together, "Yes!"

"Question," Rick interjected. "Why doesn't he like cats?"

"Well, cats are the guardians of the underworld," the curator returned. "He will fear them until he is fully regenerated."

"And then he will fear nothing," Ardeth announced cryptically.

Madeline snorted again. "Well, that doesn't sound good."

Another group glare was sent her way. Madeline held up her hands as her defense. "I'm drunk," she said again.

Daniels shook his head bitterly. "Yeah," he said, rather hysterical. "And do you know how he gets himself fully regenerated?"

"By killing everyone that opened that chest," Henderson said softly, examining his gun. He was responding much more calmly to his fate than his partner was. Madeline had to admire that.

"And sucking them dry!" Daniels added. He was definitely on the edge of a breakdown. "That's how!"

"Jonathan, will you stop playing with that?" Evie snapped. Madeline turned back to look at Jonathan, who jumped and let go of the archer's bowstring, looking guilty. Ha, Madeline thought to herself. Looks like I'm not the only drunken fool in attendance. Although, I may be the most annoying.

"When I first saw him alive at Hamunpatra, he called me Anck-su-namun," Evie continued.

Madeline could tell this little piece of information was very important, because both Ardeth and the curator exchanged looks. Evie finished with, "And just now, in Mr. Burns' quarters, he tried to kiss me."

"It was for his love of Anck-su-namun that he was cursed," the curator said. "Apparently, even after three thousand years…"

"He is still in love with her," Ardeth concluded.

"Yes, well, that's very romantic, but what does it got to do with me?" Evie asked.

"Perhaps he will once again try to raise her from the dead," Ardeth said to the curator excitedly.

"Yes," the curator agreed. "And it appears he has already chosen his human sacrifice."

Both the curator and Ardeth turned to look at Evie. Madeline was having a hard time keeping up. Drunkenness does that to people. "Wait, _her_?" she asked.

"Bad luck, old mum," Jonathan murmured.

"On the contrary," the curator replied. "It may just give us the time we need to kill the creature."

"We will need all the help we can get," Ardeth said suddenly. He walked forwards, staring up at the window. "His powers are growing."

Everyone else stood up and looked in the direction Ardeth was staring. Madeline got to her feet with the aid of the archer's chariot, and then stumbled out from behind the four people in front of her. She squinted up at the window. The dark shadow of the moon was crossing the sky, passing over the sun. Once it had covered the sun exactly right, the moon ceased moving and stayed put, casting the city of Cairo in darkness. "I'm guessing that's not a good sign," Madeline said.

"And he stretched forth his hand towards the heavens," Jonathan recited. "And there was darkness throughout the land of Egypt."

"So…" Rick murmured. "Any ideas on how to kill this guy?"

"Not yet," the curator replied. "We will have to stall him. Prevent him from regenerating. _We_ will think up a way to kill him," he said, motioning to Ardeth and himself. "And the rest of you will have to keep Imhotep from killing those that opened the chest."

"Oh, sure," Rick replied sarcastically. "No problem."

"Hold up a second," Madeline announced, again drunkenly, from her spot off to the side. "You mean to tell me that we've got to risk our lives to save some stuck up Egyptologist and these two chuckleheads?"

"Hey!" Daniels exclaimed. "Who are you calling a chucklehead?"

"You!" she exclaimed incredulously. "You two are the chuckleheads! I mean, you two are the ones that opened that stupid chest!"

"Yeah, well she's the idiot that read the book!" Daniels shot back, pointing at Evelyn.

Madeline thought that over for a moment. "Maybe so," she came back with. "But if you two hadn't opened the chest, then she wouldn't have been able to read the book, now would she?"

Daniels fell silent at this. "HA!" she crowed triumphantly.

That's when she noticed that all the other sensible people in the room were looking at her like she had lost her mind. "I'm drunk," she said again.

The curator shook his head in disgust. Madeline considered telling him off, but decided against it. Saving the world from undead mummies had to be pretty stressful, after all, especially for a sober person. He was allowed to be cranky.

"All right then," Rick announced, again taking charge. "Let's do this."

Rick, Daniels, Henderson, Evie, and Jonathan filed out of the room. Madeline made to follow them, but she was stopped suddenly by an arm resting on her shoulder. She whirled around to see the Med-jai leader waiting to say something to her.

"Yes?" she asked.

"It will not be easy to prevent the High Priest Imhotep from carrying out the curse on the chest," Ardeth announced. "The only weapon you have is the cat. Don't forget about the animal."

"Will do," Madeline returned. "Anything else?"

"The sacred jars," Ardeth said. "Who has them?"

"What the hell are you talking about?" Madeline retorted.

"The sacred jars. They should have been in the chest when your friends opened it."

"First of all, those chuckleheads are not my friends," Madeline retorted. She was aware that she had already called Henderson and Daniels chuckleheads, but in her drunken state, she had decided that she really liked the word. It was funny. "Although, Henderson might be now that I think about it, I'm not really sure – that's just a giant mess, isn't it? But I guess this whole thing is a giant mess. Especially me," she laughed suddenly. "I'm a _huge_ mess!"

"The jars," Ardeth repeated, trying to get her back on task.

"Oh right, the jars," Madeline said. "Where was I? Oh, and second of all, I don't know what the hell you're talking about when you say sacred jars, all right? That's just…" Madeline trailed off, a light bulb going on somewhere in her head. "Wait, would these jars be pretty and white and covered in jewels?"

"Yes," Ardeth replied.

"Oh, right, yeah," Madeline nodded. "I know what you're talking about. The chuckleheads who opened the chest all split them up evenly. The jars are with them."

Ardeth looked unhappy about this. "So he already has one," he murmured. Suddenly, he looked up and seized Madeline's shoulders. "Once, the jars contained Anck-su-namun's vital organs. You must not allow Imhotep to retrieve the jars! With the jars, he will be able to complete the ritual, and raise Anck-su-namun from the dead!"

Madeline blinked at him. "Right," she said. "Why are you telling all this to _me_? Shouldn't you be telling this to Rick, or Evie, or somebody sober?"

"Perhaps," Ardeth replied. "But I was not sure they would listen. You seem… more receptive of my interference."

Madeline nodded. "I _am_ more receptive of your interference," she agreed, sounding like Ardeth had just made an absolutely brilliant observation. Then she laughed. "But, you know, that's only because I think you're _foxy_!"

Ardeth frowned at her. "I'm sorry?"

"Foxy, you know, like attractive. Like really, _really _attractive. Like… yeah, well, like foxy. You're foxy," Madeline explained. However, as explanations go, hers wasn't exactly clear.

Ardeth continued to frown. "Did you just call me attractive?"

Oh, shit. "No," Madeline said quickly. "No, I… I… I am drunk."

"Yes, I see that," Ardeth replied. "Another thing: this creature is very dangerous, and you will have to be at your most alert if you hope to stop him. Perhaps it would be wise for you to, uh… not be drunk."

"What is this?" Madeline snapped. "Are you judging me? Don't you judge me! I'll have you know that _I_ am the one that scared away the mummy the last time, and I was totally plastered! So don't you lecture me about my drinking, Mr. Macho, Ultra-Serious, Arrogant Med-jai sacred warrior man! You… you are just _jealous_ because you can't have any fun! So you can just… you can just… you can just shut up, Mr. I think I'm so great, with my stupid tattoos and my weird little turban thing, and my _dress_!" Madeline flicked at his robes to emphasize her point. Ardeth didn't seem angry at all – although, once again, Madeline noticed a strange grimace momentarily cross his face, much like all the other contortions she had witnessed. "Seriously, what is wrong with your face?" she demanded. "What is with the nervous twitch thing? All right? What is wrong with you? What? What, are you having a stroke or something?"

"Madeline!" Rick exclaimed, bursting through the sitting room door. "What the hell are you doing?"

"Oh, hey Rick," Madeline said dismissively. She turned back to Ardeth, intent on giving him another piece of her mind, but Rick crossed the room in a flash, and grabbed her arm.

"All right, Maddie, time to go. Let's leave the nice Med-jai man alone," he said condescendingly, pulling her towards the door.

"Don't patronize me!" Madeline exclaimed.

"Good bye, we're going now!" Rick called over his shoulder, yanking his sister out the door. Madeline cast one last look back at Ardeth, and saw his face twitch once again, to her great vexation. Then she was out the door, and following Rick out of the museum.

* * *


	14. A Drunk Passes Out

Tongue Tied

Rating: T

Disclaimer: I am not affiliated with the motion picture _The Mummy_. I wish I was, but sadly, I have no rights to anything. Please, please, _please_ don't sue me. I also have no money.

Thank you to ForgottenStars, Mariella D'Angelo, weaselsdontfly, Lucky Fannah, vampiremistress2sexy, Evanesce, Lindsay, OceanFae, and Ravenclaw Samurai! The reviews are appreciated!

* * *

Chapter 13: A Drunk Passes Out and Wakes Up Humiliated

The six morons, as the museum curator had labeled them, now found themselves back at Fort Brydon, sitting around in Evie's sitting room and discussing their course of action. At least, some of them were. Madeline was actually sitting there quietly, sneaking sips from Jonathan's flask when no one was looking. She knew she was overdoing it, but it's not everyday that a girl comes face to face with the end of the world, and Madeline had always been the sort to drink away her problems instead of confront them.

As for poor Jonathan, he too was not involved in the conversation. He was searching his coat pockets frantically for his flask, muttering panicked phrases under his breath. "What the… where could it be… this is ridiculous… just want a sip… did I drop it… bloody hell, I'm going to… damn it, damn it, damn it!"

Madeline widened her eyes in completely fake innocence and took another sip from the flask, before hiding it in her pants again. Suddenly, Jonathan looked up at her suspiciously. "Madeline," he said slowly. "When you fell on me outside the museum, did you by any chance _steal my flask_!"

Madeline shook her head. "Nope," she lied.

A sudden outburst from Evie got the pair off the topic of Jonathan's flask. "We _must_ stop him from regenerating! Who all opened that chest?"

"Well, there was me and Daniels here," Henderson replied. "Oh, and Burns, of course."

"And that Egyptologist fellow," Daniels put in.

"What about my buddy Beni?" Rick asked.

"Oh, no, he scrammed out of there before we even opened the damn thing," Daniels said.

"Yeah, he was the smart one," Henderson added.

"That sounds like Beni," Rick said.

"We must find the Egyptologist and bring him back to the safety of the fort before the creature can get to him," Evie announced.

"Right," Rick agreed. "Evelyn and Maddie stay here. You three come with me."

Loud outbursts on the part of everybody, except for Madeline, sounded at this. Evie was protesting being left behind like some kind of carpetbag, and none of the three men wanted any part of going out to find the Egyptologist. Madeline, on the other hand, didn't really give a damn. Normally, she'd be protesting right along with Evie, not simply content to sit at home and wait while Rick did all the fighting. Madeline felt useless most of the time, and she usually leapt at the chance to do something she was good at, like fight, because that was the only time she felt worth a damn. But the sips she'd been taking from Jonathan's flask had finally begun to take their toll. Madeline knew from the way her vision was starting to blur that in a fairly short period of time, she was going to be dead to the world, and she didn't like the sound of passing out in the street.

Evie was still carrying on, and instead of arguing, Rick merely picked her up off the ground, tossed her over his shoulder, and carried her into the bedroom. "O'Connell, what do you think you are doing?" she demanded. "Jonathan! O'Connell, put me down! Jonathan!"

Evie's cries for Jonathan were useless. He was still in pursuit of his flask. "Uh, sorry, Evie, he's a bit… tall."

Evelyn continued to screech at Rick for his conduct, and to call Jonathan a coward, as Rick strode out of the bedroom and slammed the doors closed behind him. After locking them, he grabbed Daniels by the shirt and pushed him in front of the door. "This door doesn't open," he ordered over the sound of Evie's continued yelling. "She doesn't come out, and nobody goes in. Right?"

Daniels nodded. "Right?" Rick asked Henderson.

Henderson nodded as well. Rick turned to Madeline, who was fingering Jonathan's flask. "Maddie, what is that?" he demanded.

Madeline looked up guiltily. Jonathan turned and saw the flask in her hand. "Hey, that _is_ my flask!" he cried, yanking it out of her hands. Madeline pouted slightly, but didn't press the matter. The drinks she'd taken were rebelling against her now, and she had reached the point where she couldn't bear to take one more sip.

Rick frowned at his little sister. "Are you all right?" he asked.

"Yep," she replied.

Rick continued to frown. "Aren't you going to yell at me? Demand to be taken along? Call me a sexist pig?"

Madeline shook her head. "I'm good."

Rick looked confused, but he didn't press the matter. Madeline supposed he was just happy she wasn't arguing with him. "Let's go, Jonathan," he said, leading the way out the door.

Jonathan was nursing his flask, evidently pleased at its return. "Oh, well, I thought I could just stay at the fort and reconnoiter…"

"Now!"

"Right," Jonathan murmured, sounding disappointed. He got to his feet and followed Rick from the room. "We're just going to go… rescue the… Egyptologist."

The two of them left. Madeline blinked over at Henderson and Daniels. They stared at her. "Excuse me," she murmured, getting to her feet. Then she stumbled to the bathroom, closing the door hard behind her. Inside, she knelt at the toilet and threw up.

After several minutes of retching, Madeline flushed, got to her feet, and stumbled over to the sink where she proceeded to wash her hands. Then she staggered out of the bathroom, ignored Henderson's solicitous, "Are you all right?" and headed into the other bedroom, closing the door behind her and falling onto the bed, where she passed out.

* * *

There was a loud scream of terror and agony. Madeline awoke with a start. She sat still in the bed, unsure if what she'd heard had been real, or if it had been part of her dream. Then some strangled, gargling sounds came from the next room, and Madeline decided the scream must have been real.

Madeline grabbed a hold of the bedpost, hauling herself out of the bed. Upon standing, she nearly fell. She wasn't sure how long she'd been asleep. It had to have been more than a couple hours because some of the inebriation had worn off – but not nearly enough. And the lingering drunkenness wasn't the fun kind either: it was the dizzy, woozy, about to be sick kind.

Still, she persisted in trying to get out of the room. She had to move slowly to prevent falling, but eventually, she made it to the door. By the time she'd gotten it open however, Rick and Jonathan had already burst into the sitting room. They were staring at a twisted, green, lifeless form on the couch – a form that, judging from the blond hair, had to be Henderson.

Madeline gagged. "Oh, that's disgusting," she groaned from the doorway.

Rick and Jonathan looked up at her. "What happened?" Rick demanded.

"How the hell should I know?" Madeline retorted. "I was passed out."

Rick sighed, shaking his head. Madeline didn't bother to respond to his obvious annoyance. She was starting to get a headache.

There was a frightened scream from inside Evelyn's chamber. Rick and Jonathan raced to the door, Madeline tottering behind them. Rick unlocked the doors and threw them open to reveal Imhotep, nearly fully regenerated, sitting at Evie's bedside and kissing her, despite the fact that she was struggling to get away.

"Hey!" Rick shouted. "Get your ugly face off her!"

Imhotep pulled away from Evie, and turned on the three people in the doorway. Evie scrambled off the bed as Imhotep unhinged his jaw and let loose a loud, unearthly roar.

"Look what I got," Rick said, lifting Evie's cat up into the mummy's face.

Imhotep let loose a scream, dissolving into dust, and swirling into a tornado that fled out the open window. Evie poked her head up over the bed, blowing her hair out of her face, and stared at Rick. He stared back. "Are you all right?" he asked.

"I'm not sure," Jonathan replied. Rick looked at him like he was nuts.

"He wasn't talking to you," Madeline murmured, rubbing her head. "He was talking to his lover."

Evie started and stared. Rick turned around and glared at Madeline. Too late, Madeline realized she'd once again let her loose lips wag. Her eyes widened and she looked from the confused Evelyn to the infuriated Rick. She winced. Her brother was never going to forgive her for that one. Maybe someday he had intended on acting on his feelings for Evie, but obviously he wasn't quite ready yet. And Madeline had just blown the cover right off his secret crush.

"Um…" she said, wincing still. "Don't… don't listen to me… I don't know what I'm talking about… I'm still drunk."

Her attempt to fix her mistake didn't do anything. Evie wasn't buying the backpedaling for a moment, and Rick was still staring bullets at her. "Um… you know… I'll just go back to bed…" Madeline murmured. "Still got to… you know… sleep off my mistakes…."

Evie and Rick were unwavering in their chosen stares. Only Jonathan looked sympathetic. Madeline backed away, stumbling into a planter and almost knocking it over as she did so, and retreated into the bedroom.

She hadn't been lying. Madeline's short nap had sobered her up a little, but she still had a long way to go before she was completely back to normal. Not to mention the oncoming hangover was killing her.

Madeline lay down and went back to sleep.

* * *

"Madeline? Madeline, wake up!"

Madeline started from her deep sleep to find Jonathan shaking her awake. "What?" she groaned, still half asleep.

"What do you mean, what?" he returned. "You've been asleep for two hours!"

"So?" Madeline asked, preparing to roll over and go back to bed.

"Madeline, I don't know if you recall, but we're having some problems with an undead mummy intent on killing us all."

Madeline sat up suddenly. "Damn you, Jonathan, now I'll never get back to sleep."

"That was the idea, old girl, that was the idea," Jonathan replied. "How are you feeling?"

Madeline snorted. The drunkenness had worn off quite a bit, she supposed, but she still had the headache. "Tip top, obviously," she muttered.

"I had to get away from all the conjecturing," he announced. "Evie's out there, suggesting every idea in the book to stop that thing, and so far, they've all been a no-go. Not to mention, Daniels has developed an unhealthy attachment to the cat."

Madeline allowed herself a small laugh. Then she remembered what she'd found upon waking up the first time. "Henderson's really dead, isn't he?" she asked softly.

Jonathan nodded, looking sympathetic. "I know you had a bit of a crush on the man," he said.

Madeline got rather flustered. "I did not!"

"Right," Jonathan replied. "Sure. Of course not. You are aware you told him was really, _really_ attractive, right?"

Madeline swallowed hard. The events of the day slowly started to come back to her. "Oh my god, I did say that."

"Well, he's dead now, I don't suppose you have to be too embarrassed," Jonathan replied.

True. Grim, but true. "Yeah, somehow that doesn't make me feel a whole lot better," Madeline retorted. "Why the hell did I get so drunk?"

Jonathan shrugged. "Same reason anyone does, I suppose."

Madeline sighed. "Is Rick still mad about the, um…"

"Little slip of the tongue?" Jonathan supplied. "Well, he and Evie haven't exchanged a direct word since your announcement, so I'd say you're probably not off the hook."

Madeline sighed again, rubbing her head. "Terrific."

"Henderson's not the only casualty of the day," Jonathan went on. "We lost the Egyptologist."

"Even more terrific," Madeline grumbled. Suddenly, something Ardeth had said to her popped back into her head. "Did he take the sacred jars?"

"What sacred jars?"

"You know, the white ones with all the jewels," Madeline explained. "The ones that made you drool."

"Oh, those jars," Jonathan murmured. "I did see him take the Egyptologist's jar, now that you mention it, and Henderson's isn't anywhere to be found, so…"

"Stupid, Madeline, stupid, stupid, _stupid_!" she exclaimed, pounding herself in the forehead. "Damn it, he asks you to do_ one_ thing, and your drunk ass can't even do that!"

Jonathan looked slightly frightened at the outburst. "Do you need a moment alone with yourself?" he asked.

Madeline ignored the quip. "What the hell is the matter with you?" she groaned, still berating herself. "He tells _you_ about the jars, and _only_ you, and what do you do? You drink until you pass out so that you can't pass the news onto anyone else! You idiot!"

"Madeline, I'm sure you're having a fascinating conversation with yourself, but…"

"Damn it! Now that Imhotep's got the jars, he only needs one more, and he'll be able to bring Anck-su-namun back to life!" Madeline cried, this time to Jonathan. "Ardeth told me not to let him get the jars, and I didn't do it, and now…"

"Well, in your defense, he did tell a drunk person," Jonathan interrupted, attempting to console. "Not very bright on his part, I'd say."

"Oh, god," Madeline gasped suddenly. The entire conversation with Ardeth came flooding back to her. What was wrong with her? "Oh, god, I told him he was… oh, no."

"Oh, no what?" Jonathan asked, frowning.

Madeline stared at Jonathan in horror. "I told him he was _foxy_."

Jonathan stared at her. Then, suddenly, he burst into hysterical laughter.

"Don't laugh at me!" Madeline exclaimed, smacking him in the arm. "Do you have any idea how humiliating that is?"

Jonathan nodded, still laughing.

"Oh, you are a terrible friend," Madeline said, still horror-struck. "Why the hell did I _do_ that? Oh, you idiot, you idiot, you idiot!"

Jonathan managed to stop laughing. "I'm sure it's not quite as horrific as you're making it out to be, old girl. I mean, if you _do_ think he's foxy, then…."

"Oh, would you shut up!" Madeline interrupted. Then, another horrified look spread across her face. "Oh, no, I didn't!"

"I'm going to guess you probably did."

"I yelled at him!" she exclaimed. "I made fun of his robes… I called them a _dress_!"

Jonathan laughed again.

"Stop laughing at me!" Madeline exclaimed. "Oh, no, I am such an idiot! Why do I drink like that? It never leads to anything good!"

Jonathan shrugged, trying to keep a straight face. "Well, Maddie, why does anybody drink like that?"

Madeline shrugged, looking despondent. "Because they're stupid. _I'm_ stupid."

"No, not at all! Well, all right, maybe a little, but… drinking is a form of dealing, Maddie. Perhaps not a very good form of dealing, but there you have it."

Madeline stared at him. "You know, Jonathan," she said. "If you would only stop acting the fool and be who you are – the incredibly intelligent person who's capable of thinking up things like that – you'd probably go a long way in this world."

Jonathan smiled at her. "Looks like somebody needs to take their own advice."

Madeline frowned. What was that supposed to mean? There was no intelligent person hiding inside Madeline, _that_ she knew: she'd already looked for one.

Suddenly, Evie burst into the room. "I've got it!" she exclaimed.

"Got what?" Madeline grumbled, rubbing her head. Why did everyone she knew decide to shout at her when she was nursing a hangover?

"I know how to stop him," Evelyn cried breathlessly. "The golden book of Amun-Ra."

Madeline blinked. "What ?"

"Hurry, we have to return to the museum," Evelyn rushed on, ignoring Madeline's look of obliviousness. Jonathan didn't look all too informed himself. "We must figure out where the book is hidden."

As suddenly as she had entered, Evie was gone. Madeline frowned at Jonathan. "Do I _have_ to go back to the museum?" she asked.

"I suppose you don't have to," he replied. "But you probably should."

Madeline sighed heavily. "Great," she groused. Not only was she hung over, but now she had to return to the Cairo museum, the scene of her latest humiliation.

"You'd think I'd learn by now," she sighed, gathering her things. "You think by now I'd know that alcohol and I don't mix. That I'd know whiskey makes me sick. That there's a time and a place to get that drunk, and how to go about distinguishing what that time and place is. That I would have figured out, whether I'm drunk _or_ sober, that the best course of action for me to follow is always shutting the hell up. I should never talk. I should never even look at people. I should be locked away in a room where I can't embarrass myself in front of strangers and frighten small children. I'm such an idiot. _Such_ an idiot."

"Oh, Madeline," Jonathan replied. "You are always too hard on yourself. So you did something stupid? So you got drunk at an inappropriate time? We all make mistakes."

"All I ever do is make mistakes," Madeline muttered, trying to fix her bed-tangled hair. "I can never do _anything_ right."

Jonathan gave her shoulder a sympathetic squeeze and led her out of the bedroom. When she entered the sitting room, Evie was scurrying about, ready to leave. Rick refused to look at Madeline, and Daniels cried out, "Well, the drunkard awakens! How'd you sleep, little Miss Whiskey?"

Madeline glared at him. "No, really, I want to know," Daniels pushed on mercilessly. "I want to know how you slept while we were all sitting out here, doing something about that evil bastard from Hamunaptra. I hope we weren't too loud."

"Oh, please," Jonathan said, sticking up for his pal. "You didn't do a damn thing other than hug that bloody cat while Evie ran around thinking up ways to kill the thing!"

Daniels fell silent. Madeline wisely kept her mouth shut. She may not be quick on the uptake, but if this latest misadventure had taught her anything, it was that her silence was always the best policy.

"Enough of this childish bickering," Evie scolded them all. "Everyone here has made mistakes in the past couple of days, and there is no reason to dwell on them. Right now, we have more important things to do than give one another a hard time. I want everyone up and out the door, this instant!"

So saying, Evie opened the door wide and held it, waiting expectantly to be followed out the door. Everyone shuffled to their feet and moved slowly out of the apartments, obviously unenthused by the task that lay in front of them. Rick led the way, still determinedly not looking at his little sister. As if this didn't make Madeline feel bad enough, Daniels hissed in Madeline's ear as he passed her, "If it weren't for you, Henderson would be alive right now. You should have been sober enough to watch out for him, and keep that thing away from him." Then he followed Rick and Jonathan out the door.

Madeline wanted to be able to tell him off, but she couldn't. Deep down, she'd been thinking the same thing. If she had been awake, she could have stopped the creature from killing Henderson. It was more than a shame, really. Henderson had been the only really decent American of the bunch.

As she walked out the door, she was surprised to feel Evie's hand on her shoulder. Since Madeline and Evie rarely spoke to each other one on one, it was a shock to see Evie looking at her with kind eyes.

"Don't listen to that horrible man," she murmured. "If he had truly been concerned about his friend, he wouldn't have left him all alone. Besides, so you got rather drunk? I'm the one that woke the thing up in the first place. I'd say I made a much bigger mistake than you did."

"Maybe," Madeline replied. "But everyone still seems to like _you_. Face it, Evie: you didn't mean to do what you did. I could have stopped myself. I knew I was messing up the whole time I was doing it."

"Well, I should have taken all the black robed desert men attacking us as a warning that maybe this particular tomb should have been left alone," Evie replied. "Let's just call our mistakes even, all right?"

Madeline smiled and nodded. "Hey, Evie, I hope you're not holding what I said earlier against my brother. I didn't mean to embarrass you. It's not his fault that I'm a drunken moron."

"Oh, no, that's quite all right," Evie replied, although she looked slightly guilty. "I wasn't embarrassed at all."

Clearly, Evelyn _had_ been embarrassed, and she _had_ been holding it against Rick, Madeline decided. That was the only reason for her to look so guilty. But Madeline wasn't going to think any less of Evie for it. Even if she had once seen Evie as a threat, knowing that eventually the librarian was going to take her brother away from her, and even if she was _still _jealous of the librarian's many charms, it was clear to her now that they were on the same side. Evie's kindness towards Madeline made up for her affection for Rick.

Now, if only she could make up with Rick, Madeline thought to herself as she silently followed her companions back to the museum.

* * *


	15. A Conversation and a Jar

Tongue Tied

Rating: T

Disclaimer: I am not affiliated with the motion picture _The Mummy_. I wish I was, but sadly, I have no rights to anything. Please, please, _please_ don't sue me. I also have no money.

AN: Thank you to Lindsay, vampiremistress2sexy, OceanFae, Ravenclaw Samurai, Nelle07, Princess Anck, Giggles, WhiteInnocence, TheWinchesterAngel, and Evanesce for the reviews. Also, Ravenclaw Samurai, your review was particularly nice to get, since it seems like you really understand Madeline and what I'm trying to get across here. Thanks again to all of you!

* * *

Chapter 14: A Conversation and a Jar

Madeline was forced to sit next to her older brother in the back of Jonathan's car. Why they were driving to the museum when they'd been content to walk earlier that day was a mystery to her. Curious, Madeline leaned forward and tapped Jonathan on the shoulder. "Why are we driving?" she whispered. "We walked this morning."

Jonathan chuckled under his breath. "Maddie, old girl," he whispered back. "You really were drunk, weren't you?"

"What is that supposed to mean?" she hissed.

"We drove, Maddie. We didn't walk. We drove."

Madeline leaned back against the seat. They had driven? What else didn't she remember correctly? She turned over to look at her brother, who was determinedly not looking at her. Well, whatever had happened earlier, Madeline knew she remembered screwing up her brother's love life. "Rick," she murmured.

"I think today was a personal best for you," he announced. "Drunk in the morning, hung over by evening. You reversed the whole process."

Madeline sighed heavily. "Look, I know I messed up big today," she said quietly. "But, let's be honest: Evie was going to figure it out eventually. She's a smart girl."

"You know, you keep saying things like that," Rick retorted. "But I've yet to figure out exactly what you mean."

"Rick, I might not be a genius or anything, but I think I know my older brother well enough that when he's head over heels for some chick, I can tell."

Rick still wouldn't look at her. "Whatever you say, Maddie."

Madeline sighed again, but couldn't let the conversation drop. "Rick, I'm sorry I said what I said, all right? I'm sorry I let the cat out of the bag. I know I've probably wrecked everything for you and thrown your whole game off, and I feel like an asshole, but you shouldn't let my stupid, drunk, big mouth ruin everything for you. You have a chance here, and if you back off because I prematurely let Evie in on the big secret crush you have on her, then you're being even more self-destructive than I usually am! I mean, I don't want you to leave me, Rick. I don't want our lives to change. But that seems to be happening whether I want it to or not, and I'm just going to have to grow up and deal with it. I'm not going to stand by and let you blow things with Evie. Destroying any chance to be with a member of the opposite sex is _my_ thing, not yours."

Rick finally turned to look at her. He wore an expression of amazement. "Are you still drunk?"

"No, I am not," Madeline returned, rather annoyed. "And that's kind of a sore subject for me, so can we let it go?"

"Sorry," Rick apologized, smiling slightly. It was the amused smile he usually wore when Madeline did something humiliating. "It's just that you're actually attempting to have a real conversation with me while you're sober, and the last time either of us attempted to do that, we were planning on running away from the orphanage."

"Shut the hell up, Rick," Madeline retorted, starting to get embarrassed.

"No, I mean, it's nice," he pushed on, still sounding like he was making fun of her. "We should do this more often."

"Are you accepting my apology or not?" Madeline snapped. "I just want to know, because the only reason I haven't smacked you yet is the fact that I'm afraid you're still mad at me."

Rick chuckled slightly. "I'm not mad at you, Madeline. I guess I overreacted. I mean, I should be used to this by now, right? I screw up, you save my ass. _You_ screw up, I save _your_ ass. It's just kind of our thing. That's how we've been our whole lives. I'm just… I don't know…."

Madeline interrupted him. "You're tired of doing that. I understand, Rick. I am too."

He nodded. Madeline sighed again. "I just don't know if I can ever change," she murmured. "I know you can change, Rick, but I don't know if I can. I'm always going to be a screw up."

Rick sighed too, shifting around uncomfortably. "Look, you have to stop saying things like that," he said. "I know I always give you a hard time, but you're not a screw up. You could be more than that, if you tried."

The car was pulling up in front of the museum now. Both Rick and Madeline were fully embarrassed. "Well, that's all the motivational pep talk I have to dish out," Rick announced as everyone started to climb out of Jonathan's yellow convertible.

"Are we going to be all right?" Madeline asked.

"Hell if I know," Rick replied. "For the next few minutes, I suppose."

He grinned at her. Madeline smiled back. Things felt back to normal. However, Madeline still didn't feel any better about herself once she saw that her conversation with Rick hadn't changed a damn thing between him and Evelyn. They continued to avoid one another as they approached the museum. Madeline wanted to do something, but what could she do? She'd already talked to both Rick _and_ Evie: she'd _tried_ to fix what she'd done. If they were going to be stubborn about it, then was that really her fault?

Yes, Madeline thought miserably as she followed her group into the museum. It was entirely her fault. This wouldn't be happening right now if she hadn't stuck her foot in her mouth the way she always did. All she could hope for right now was that the curator would ignore her; and that the Med-jai leader had gone somewhere else.

Luck was not on Madeline's side, however. They turned into the curator's suite, and found both him and Ardeth deep in conversation. Instinctively, Madeline ducked behind Jonathan, hoping to make herself as invisible as possible.

"Miss Carnahan," the curator greeted them. "Miss Carnahan's companions."

While the curator treated them all coldly, Madeline felt the look he sent her way was the most unfriendly. Madeline studied the ceiling as though she found it fascinating. She was just going to be quiet, and that was all there was to that.

"I think I have an idea," Evie announced, not bothering to say hello.

The curator ignored her. "I believe your company is missing its sixth moron."

"Yeah," Rick replied. "We had an unfortunate afternoon."

"The blond American is dead?" the curator asked. "I certainly hope you at least managed to save the Egyptologist."

There was no reply to that, only a few awkward coughs and some nervous shuffling of feet. The curator sighed heavily. "Well, you all certainly seem to be on top of things," he said dryly. "I hope there's at least one idiot left that hasn't been killed?"

"Oh, yes," Jonathan announced, pointing at Daniels. "He's right there."

"Watch it, Carnahan," Daniels snapped.

"As I already said," Evie interjected, looking irritated. "I have a plan to stop Imhotep. Where's the stone obelisk that speaks of the Book of Amun-Ra?"

"I moved it upstairs," the curator replied. "To prevent it being seen by anymore foolish, curious eyes. Why do you ask?"

"I need to see it," Evie replied. "If the stone says that the Book of Amun Ra is buried where we found the Book of the Dead, then perhaps it will tell me where the Book of the Dead is supposed to be hidden: and perhaps _there_ I will find the Book of Amun-Ra."

"Yes," the curator murmured. "That is not such a bad idea at all."

"What exactly do you plan to do once we have the book?" Jonathan asked suddenly.

"Well," Evie returned. "If the Book of the Dead can bring people back to life, then maybe the Book of Amun-Ra…"

"Can kill this bastard," Rick finished. Evie started and the two of them exchanged nervous looks.

"That's the myth," she half whispered.

Madeline couldn't decide if this was a step forward or not. The two had spoken, true, but not the way they normally did. Madeline felt guilty all over again.

"All right," the curator announced. "Let's head upstairs."

He led the way out of the suite towards the large staircase. Madeline fell to the back of the line, glad that everyone was ignoring her. Glad, that is, until she heard Ardeth ask, "What became of the jars?"

Madeline jumped. Then she looked around, praying he was asking someone else. No such luck. He was looking at her. Madeline sighed heavily. "Um…" she stuttered. Not only was Ardeth attractive, and not only had she humiliated herself the last time she'd seen him, but Madeline was also really afraid to tell him that she'd screwed up. He seemed like the angry type. "The jars, yeah… see, about that…"

"He has the jars," Ardeth said.

"Um… yeah."

Ardeth shook his head. "Then he needs only one more, and that will be the end."

Nice one, Madeline, she thought to herself. She could not believe she was going to be responsible for the end of the world. Well, she supposed she wouldn't be the only guilty party, but still: no one wants _that_ on their conscience. "Right…" Madeline murmured. "I'm… really sorry."

"You are sorry?" Ardeth asked. "I'm afraid that doesn't mean very much. I told you he could not get his hands on those jars!"

"Well, I was drunk, you moron!" Madeline snapped. Then she sighed, rubbing her temples. "No, no, you're not… you're not a moron. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that. You're not the moron: _I_ am the moron. Just ignore me, nothing I say ever means anything anyway. And also, while I'm apologizing for saying stupid, _stupid_ things, let me just say that I am an idiot, and… well… I'm pretty sure I said some things I shouldn't have, and… um… well, I'm sorry I made fun of your clothes. I didn't mean any of that. I know you're not wearing a dress, and…." Madeline sighed again, feeling her cheeks starting to get red. "And… well… that was stupid, and I am sorry, and I, well, I… uh… don't really remember everything I said to you, but I'm pretty sure it only gets worse from there, so…"

"Like when you asked me what was wrong with my face?" he interrupted.

Madeline stared at him in horror. "I said what now?"

"You asked me what was wrong with my face," he repeated.

Stupid, stupid, Madeline thought to herself. What kind of freak asks someone something like that? "I did? Oh, shit, I did," Madeline groaned. "I… I didn't mean that… I… well, I… I am sorry, there… there is _nothing_ wrong with your face, I don't know _why_ I would say something like that… you have a very nice face. I mean… I mean, it's a good face, it's… it's very pretty… no! No, that is not right! I mean, pretty, but for a man. I mean… I don't know what I mean… you have a nice beard? I mean… damn it… I'm sorry; I'm just going to stop talking now."

Ardeth's face twitched as she finished her ramblings, and even though Madeline wondered again why he kept doing that, she turned away from him, thoroughly humiliated, and determined not to ask. In doing so, she could see out the window they were passing, and what she saw did not sit well with her. She was not the only one who noticed what was outside in the streets. Her companions all froze at the windowsill beside her, staring at the approaching herd of people, most of whom carried torches. They were being led by the nearly fully regenerated Imhotep, and they were horribly disfigured, all covered in, well….

"Last but not least, my most favorite plague," Jonathan announced. "Boils and sores."

"They have become his slaves," Ardeth murmured. "So it has begun. The beginning of the end."

"Not quite yet, it hasn't," Evie returned. "Come on."

The curator and she led the others to the obelisk, where the two scholars frantically began trying to decipher the hieroglyphics. Jonathan stood beside his sister, wringing his hands. Madeline rested her bag on the rail, overlooking the museum entrance. Beside her, Rick and Ardeth both appeared, staring at the shaking door. The slaves, as Ardeth had called them, were trying to get inside.

Madeline bit her lip. She was scared, no doubt, but she had one thought and one thought only: Shoot as many of those creepy disfigured bastards as she had bullets. Intent on putting together her rifle, she opened her bag: only to stop and stare at what lay inside.

Winking up at her was a small white jar, speckled with jewels, and its lid carved to resemble some sort of bird's head. Madeline's jaw dropped. "What the hell…?"

Both Rick and Ardeth looked over her shoulder. "One of the jars!" Ardeth exclaimed.

"Did Daniels ask you to carry that?" Rick asked.

Madeline slowly shook her head. "No," she murmured, shocked. "Daniels has his jar with him."

"Then that's… Henderson's." Rick sounded confused.

Madeline _felt_ confused. "Yeah," she whispered. "I have his jar. How the hell did I end up with his jar?"

"You must have remembered," Ardeth returned. He was staring at her with something like… respect? No, that couldn't be it. Admiration, then? Yeah, right, who the hell was she kidding? Surprise? Now that was much more likely.

"I must have," she agreed. "But I don't understand… how could I have… when did I take this? _How_ did I take this? I don't remember… I don't…"

Madeline trailed off, shocked that she had managed to do something right. Even more shocking was the fact that she didn't even remember doing it. How had she ended up with Henderson's jar?

"You did well," Ardeth murmured.

"You sound surprised," Madeline retorted without thinking. Then she looked up at him in panic. However, instead of looking annoyed with her, he looked slightly guilty. Oops. Madeline hadn't meant to make him feel bad, even if he actually had been surprised that the idiot had managed to do something right. "Well, that's ok," she rushed on, trying to fix the awkwardness she felt descending on them. "Me too."

"Me three," Rick added. Madeline glared at him.

Evelyn, who had been explaining to Jonathan, Daniels, and the curator about how the Bembridge scholars had mixed up the burial places of the two books, was now murmuring "The Book of Amun-Ra must be buried at…"

She trailed off, squinting at the pictures in front of her. Madeline, just now noticing that Evie had been trying to read the obelisk, also just noticed at that moment how much closer Imhotep's slaves were to breaking in the museum door. There wasn't enough time to put her rifle together, so Madeline closed the bag up tight and pulled her pistols. "What am I supposed to do with this jar?" she asked Ardeth.

"Hang on to it," he replied, fingering his own weapons as he stared at the shaking museum doors. "Do not allow it to fall into Imhotep's hands."

"Right," Madeline said skeptically. "Are you sure you wouldn't be a better candidate for that job?"

"Your bag will hide the jar better," Ardeth returned. "I have nowhere to put it."

"Right, well, I still think you should take it," Madeline insisted.

"You will be fine," Ardeth replied impatiently.

"No I won't!" Madeline exclaimed. "You don't know me very well! I'm going to screw this up!"

The doors to the museum burst open, and to Madeline's great horror, Imhotep's slaves rushed into the entrance hall, chanting their master's name. "Come on, Evie, faster," Jonathan murmured nervously.

"Patience is a virtue, Jonathan," Evie returned, frantically reading.

"Not right now, it isn't!" Rick exclaimed.

"I, uh… think I'll go and start the car…" Jonathan announced, racing for the back exit.

"Jonathan!" Madeline found herself shouting after him. "What the hell are you doing?"

"I got it!" Evie cried triumphantly. "The golden Book of Amun-Ra is buried at Hamunaptra, inside the statue of Horus! Take that, Bembridge scholars!"

"Run!" Rick shouted, racing down the hall, grabbing Evie's arm, and dragging her in the direction Jonathan had gone. Daniels was way ahead of them, having skipped out right after Jonathan. Madeline, Ardeth, and the curator took up the rear.

They flew down the back staircase and out the back door, narrowly missing a herd of Imhotep's slaves as they passed by, and then raced around the corner of the building. Jonathan was already in the driver's seat, the engine running, waiting in panic for his companions to reach the car. "Well, get this thing in gear, boy, let's get out of here!" Daniels shouted, reaching the car first and hopping in the backseat.

"Hurry, Evie!" Jonathan called as the rest of them arrived. Rick helped Evie into the front seat as Madeline vaulted into the back. Ardeth and the curator were close behind her. There wasn't a whole lot of room for the four of them in the back of Jonathan's convertible, and Madeline found herself kneeling on the floor, her back up against the front seats. Only she could get in the car way ahead of everyone else, and yet still manage not to find a place to sit.

"Imhotep! Imhotep!"

Madeline looked up in surprise. Rick's ex-friend, Beni, was standing in the door to the museum, screaming for the mummy. Unlike the other people around him, Beni was free of both boils and sores. Madeline frowned. Why was he with Imhotep if he hadn't been affected by the final plague?

A loud roar distracted her from her thoughts. She looked up at the high window above them, and saw Imhotep staring down at them. In the words of Rick, they were in serious trouble.

Jonathan hit the gas. "You're going to get yours, Beni!" Rick shouted as they drove off. "You're going to get yours!"

Rick sat down as Jonathan turned a corner. "What was that all about?" Madeline demanded.

Rick looked at her like she was crazy – but then quickly realized why she had asked the question. "I forgot," he said. "You weren't with me and Jonathan. You were, uh…"

"Passed out drunk?" Madeline supplied.

"Yeah," Rick agreed. "Beni is working with Imhotep."

Madeline gave Rick an incredulous look. "What, now?"

"He joined forces with the mummy," Rick replied. "Apparently, it's better to be in the right hand of the devil than in his path."

Madeline frowned, and then snorted. "Well, gee," she murmured. "And I thought _I_ made bad choices."

* * *


	16. A Car Ride and Another Jar

Tongue Tied

Rating: T

Disclaimer: I am not affiliated with the motion picture _The Mummy_. I wish I was, but sadly, I have no rights to anything. Please, please, _please_ don't sue me. I also have no money.

AN: And a big thank you to all my reviewers: Nelle07, vampiremistress2sexy, WhiteInnocence, OceanFae, Evanesce, TheWinchesterAngel, Lindsay, ExtremeAngelxJeffHardyFan, Ravenclaw Samurai, Mariella D'Angelo, NajaMoonshadow, and RopedMeASparrow. You guys rule! Thanks again!

* * *

Chapter 15: A Car Ride and Another Jar

The yellow convertible whizzed through the streets of Cairo. Jonathan was a terrible driver, this much was obvious. Madeline tried to ignore the fear of dying in a flaming car crash – and if they crashed, she'd probably be the best candidate for dying, seeing as she didn't even have a real seat – and instead focused on something much more puzzling and important. How the hell had she wound up with Henderson's jar?

Madeline wasn't used to blacking out. She usually forgot things, and then remembered them when other people reminded her. However, this time, no matter how hard she tried to remember, she couldn't think of a single way to explain this.

She frowned at Daniels. It pained her to ask him anything, but he'd probably be the most likely to know how she'd gotten the jar. He was tapping the side of the car nervously, obviously terrified. "Uh… Daniels?" she asked.

"What?" he snapped, his voice both fearful and annoyed.

Madeline ignored his tone. "Did I take anything out of the room when I went to go pass out?"

"No," Daniels retorted, still annoyed. "Why?"

"Nothing, I just… hey, did I come out of the room at all?"

"No," Daniels snapped again. "You were dead to the world. Great way to be in a crisis, you stupid… although Henderson did say you woke up when he went to go check on you."

Madeline frowned. She did not remember this at all. "Henderson went to go check on me?"

"Yeah, for some reason he was worried about your stupid drunk ass," Daniels sniped. "Hell of a lot of good that did him, huh? You sure as hell didn't return the favor."

Madeline tried to remember Henderson coming into the room – but her reverie was interrupted when Jonathan slammed on the brakes. Madeline flew backwards into the seats, and then bounced off them, landing face first in Ardeth's legs.

Oh, now _that_ was humiliating. Madeline stumbled back away from him, and turned around to yell at Jonathan – her embarrassing moment was entirely his fault, after all – but what she saw in front of the car explained Jonathan's sudden stop, and shocked her into silence.

A large group of the sore and boil covered slaves stood still in front of them, blocking the roadway, and staring at the car. For a moment, everyone in the car stared back, unsure what to do next. Then Rick slammed his foot down on Jonathan's, putting the gas to the floor, and the convertible sped towards the unfriendly crowd.

Oh, good, Madeline thought to herself. We're going to try to run all of these people over. Damn you and your death wish, Rick O'Connell.

A few of Imhotep's slaves got flattened, but the majority started climbing on top of the car, trying to force their way in. Kneeling on the floor in such tight quarters made it really difficult to keep one's balance, and Madeline quite quickly found herself on the floor as one of the creepy looking zombie men flew in at the side and tackled her. Madeline grabbed the man by the throat and tried to force him up and off of her, but he kept clawing at her face. Managing to duck most of the blows, she finally got her leg out from under the seats and kicked the man in the crotch.

It was enough to weaken him while she threw her weight into his, sending him flying into the side of the car. Ardeth, who had just finished with an opponent of his own, punched Madeline's zombie in the face, and the man toppled out into the street.

Madeline leapt to her feet before any more of the attacking slaves could jump on top of her. Another slave grabbed her hair. Madeline turned, flailing her arms, and smacked him in the side of the face. He loosened his grip on her hair, and she kicked his legs out from under him, slamming her elbow into his face and knocking him over the side of the car.

"O'Connell!" she heard Daniels scream for her brother.

Madeline whirled around to see Daniels being grabbed from behind by two slaves. Her brother tried to get to the other man, but was attacked by another one of the boil infested men. Madeline pulled her pistols and began shooting at the men who were grabbing Daniels. They let go – but were quickly replaced by new ones. Madeline kept shooting, but ran out of bullets just as the two slaves were pulling him out the back of the car. She lunged forward, missing his arm but grabbing his coat.

It was too late. The slaves yanked Daniels out of the convertible. He hit the street and rolled. Madeline stumbled backwards against the front seats, falling to the floor with Daniels' coat in her hands. She stared down at the jacket and saw, poking out of one of the large pockets, a bejeweled white jar with a lid carved to resemble some sort of canine creature.

A loud yell sounded in her ear as she stared at the jar, and then one of the zombie slaves was on top of her, clawing at the jacket. Madeline struggled to keep the jar out of his disgusting, sore covered hands. Ardeth kicked the man in the face, then lifted him up by the robes and tossed him into the street.

Madeline stared up at him. He looked down at her, in shock. "You saved another one of the jars!" he exclaimed.

"I know!" Madeline exclaimed back, just as surprised. "I'm on a roll!"

That's when Jonathan lost control of the convertible. He crashed it into a street cart loaded with produce, and ended up knocking over a large tub full of rainwater. The water splashed up all over them, and the car ended up half on top of the cart, and half on the street. Ardeth nearly toppled over on top of Madeline as the car settled at a precariously high angle.

Madeline didn't allow herself time to think about the car crash. She hurriedly grabbed her knapsack and stuffed Daniels' jar inside, closing it tightly. "Madeline, get the hell out of the car!" she heard Rick shout.

She swung the bag on her back, and felt a hand close on her wrist. "Come on, Maddie!" Jonathan said, dragging her away from the convertible and towards the rest of their companions. Unfortunately, their companions had backed themselves into a corner and the slaves were closing in on them. Rick tried to scare them off by waving a flaming torch at them. They stopped advancing, but didn't run away.

That was bad, but things were about to get worse. As they stood there, staring at Imhotep's slaves as they surrounded them, the wall of plague infested individuals opened up down the center, and the high priest himself, now completely regenerated, strode purposefully towards them.

Madeline, finding herself between Evelyn and Jonathan, edged behind Evelyn and Rick towards Ardeth. "What the hell am I suppose to do with these stupid jars?" she hissed, deciding he was probably the only one present who'd know the answer to that question.

Ardeth stared at her like a deer caught in the headlights. Damn it, Madeline thought to herself. He has no clue.

Then Imhotep approached them and announced something in Hebrew. Madeline didn't understand a word. Luckily for them, Rick's old pal Beni was there to translate.

"Where are the sacred jars?" Beni asked as Imhotep continued speaking in Hebrew. "Bring them to me."

Madeline desperately tried not to freak out. She attempted to look confused. Suddenly, she had an almost uncontrollable urge to whistle nonchalantly, but she made herself be quiet. "What jars?" Rick asked harshly.

Imhotep spoke in Hebrew again. "Give the sacred jars to me, and I will spare your lives." Beni translated.

Oh, shit. Madeline tried to glance discreetly at Ardeth for guidance, but he wasn't looking at her. "Any bright ideas?" Evelyn asked Rick.

"I'm working on it," was Rick's not very reassuring reply.

More Hebrew came from Imhotep's lips, and Beni asked, "What is in the bag?"

Madeline saw that Imhotep's eyes were on her. "What?" she asked stupidly.

"What is in the bag?" Beni repeated.

"Guns," Madeline replied.

Imhotep spoke again, and Beni translated, "Give the bag to me,"

"Uh… no…" Madeline said, not sounding very sure of herself.

"Maddie, just give him the bag," Jonathan whispered.

"Don't you dare, Maddie," Rick ordered.

Oh great, Madeline thought to herself. "Anyone else have an opinion?" she asked the crowd, her voice rising a notch towards hysterical.

Imhotep narrowed his eyes and approached Madeline, who quickly backed up against the wall. She was fucked, without a doubt. "Get away from my sister," Rick snarled, charging the high priest.

Effortlessly, Imhotep shoved Rick in the chest with one arm, and sent Madeline's older brother flying through the air. He made landing in a nearby kiosk. Madeline's jaw dropped.

Jonathan was backing away slowly, shaking his head. Evie looked horrified. The curator glanced from Madeline to Imhotep, unsure how to proceed. Finally, Ardeth stepped up to the plate, charging Imhotep much like Rick had. Another effortless shrug from Imhotep sent the desert man flying through the air as well, and he landed beside Rick.

Then Imhotep rounded on Madeline and grabbed the bag. Later, Madeline would conclude that she had been suffering from momentary insanity. It was the only plausible explanation for why she held fast to the bag, and tried to yank it back from the invincible high priest.

Imhotep spun his arm out, shaking her off the bag. Madeline's grip slipped, and she sailed through the air, and landed on the kiosk beside the two men who had tried to rescue her and the jars. Rick got back to his feet, rushing over to Evie's side. Madeline groaned. "Ow."

"Are you all right?" Ardeth asked.

Madeline groaned again. "I… I… I hate my life."

Imhotep opened the bag and checked inside for the two jars. Apparently finding them, he closed the knapsack and spun on his heel, casually shouldering Madeline's bag, and stopped in front of Evelyn. He spoke in Hebrew again, his eyes boring into hers.

"Come with my princess," Beni translated. "It is time to make you mine, forever."

"For all eternity, idiot," Evelyn corrected him, seeming unable to help herself.

Madeline struggled to her feet, along with Ardeth. The two of them approached the others apprehensively. The way Madeline saw it, they weren't getting out of this mess. They were all doomed.

Imhotep spoke again in Hebrew, and Beni once again translated for him. "Come with me, and I will spare your friends."

Rick scoffed, obviously unimpressed. But Evelyn didn't seem to share his attitude. "Oh, dear," she murmured. "Well, what about now? Thought up any bright ideas yet?"

"I'm still thinking," Rick retorted.

"Well you best think fast, because if he turns me into a mummy, you're the first person I'm coming after."

Madeline's jaw dropped. Was Evie seriously considering sacrificing herself for the sake of the rest of them? That was just crazy.

As crazy as it sounded, however, Evelyn made her way over to stand at Imhotep's side. He took his arm in hers. "No," Rick said, shaking his head. Madeline knew that tone of voice. Rick drew his gun.

"No!" Ardeth shouted, grabbing hold of Rick's trigger arm.

"Don't!" Evie agreed. "He still has to take me to Hamunaptra to perform the ritual!"

"She is right!" Ardeth added. "Live today, fight tomorrow."

Madeline couldn't believe what she was hearing. Evie had to be just plain nuts, or far too noble for her own good. Somehow, Madeline didn't see herself ever being capable of making that sort of sacrifice.

Rick slowly lowered his pistol, looking none too happy about it. "I'll be seeing you again," he growled threateningly at Imhotep, pointing his torch at the high priest.

Imhotep only smiled smugly, clearly not intimidated. Evelyn's eyes bored into Rick's, and he stared back at her. Imhotep took his sacrifice's arm and led her away from her companions. At the last moment, Rick seemed unable to follow through. "Evelyn!" he exclaimed, leaping forward.

Madeline, standing nearby, grabbed a hold of her brother, and Ardeth strengthened his grip. Rick fought them. As they struggled to keep him from chasing after the pair, Beni approached Jonathan, fishing the key out of his jacket pocket. Jonathan struggled to prevent the theft, but not nearly enough. "Hey, that's mine!" he exclaimed, starting off his sentence strong, and then sort of petering out.

"Thank you," Beni returned with a cheeky grin.

As he led Evie away, Imhotep roared something in ancient Egyptian.

"No!" Evelyn shouted, almost hysterically. "No! Let me go!"

"Good bye, my friend," Beni said to Rick.

"Come here, you!" Rick snarled, breaking free of Madeline and Ardeth's grips and charging his ex-pal. The rodent faced man raced after Imhotep and Evelyn, and Rick's charge was cut short by the still gathered crowd.

That exchange, coupled with the sudden advancement of Imhotep's slaves, led Madeline to conclude that the high priest had just ordered them all killed. She sighed heavily, wishing she still had her bag – and that she hadn't wasted the bullets in her pistols on Daniels. It wasn't that she didn't have extra ammunition on her, because she did; she just didn't have time to reload.

"Fuck my life," she muttered, inching away from the advancing slaves, trying to hide behind Rick and Ardeth. Jonathan joined her in this cowardly move.

Rick waved the flaming torch at the approaching crowd, but this time they weren't frightened. Suddenly, Rick threw the torch at them, bent down over a nearby manhole in the street, and hauled the manhole cover off, tossing it at more of the slaves. Then he grabbed Madeline by the arm, yanking her towards the manhole. "You first!" he shouted, throwing her inside.

This was one of those times when Madeline really hated her brother. It didn't matter that he was trying to save her life; he had just thrown her down a manhole. She dropped straight, attempting to grab hold of the ladder, and failing. After far too long a fall, she hit the ground – which was damp and slimy – and found herself staring up at the opening.

"Damn you, Rick O'Connell," she growled. It smelled horrible down in the sewer – and when the stench mixed with Madeline's lingering hangover, the result was not a pretty one.

Getting painfully to her feet, Madeline stumbled off to the side, found a spot where none of her companions were likely to step, and emptied out the contents of her stomach.

As she finished up, Jonathan hit the sewer ground much like she had. "Oh, that's going to mess up my suit," he grumbled, slowly standing.

"Are you all right?" Madeline asked, recovering from her little episode.

Jonathan jumped about three feet in the air. "What the bloody hell is the matter with you, Maddie? You scared the daylights out of me!"

"Sorry," she apologized. "Hey, and stop calling me Maddie!"

A yell from up above interrupted the conversation, and the two of them looked up to see yet another falling body dropping down from the opening. Madeline grabbed Jonathan's arm and yanked him out of the way.

The figure wore long dark robes, and managed to catch hold of the ladder before he hit the ground. He clambered down the metal steps as quickly as possible, and then moved away from the opening. It was Ardeth.

That was just so unfair, Madeline thought to herself. Why did Ardeth get to land with his dignity in tact? Although, she supposed no one had seen her hit the ground, so it wasn't like there was much to be embarrassed about.

"Well, hello there," Jonathan said.

"Hello," Ardeth replied. "Are you two all right?"

"Oh, I'm just bloody peachy," Jonathan returned.

Madeline ignored both of them, staring up at the street. No one had been tossed down the manhole in awhile. "Uh… where's my brother?" she asked suddenly.

Ardeth looked up at the manhole. "I suspect he's waiting on Hamzah," he replied.

Madeline almost asked him who the hell Hamzah was, but she managed to stop herself. Since the curator of the museum was the only one left up there with Rick, she assumed that Hamzah must be the curator's name.

Suddenly, another dark figure dropped down into the hole. This man also managed to grab hold of the ladder before hitting the ground, and then land gracefully on his feet. Madeline gave a sigh of relief. It was her brother.

"Where is Hamzah?" Ardeth demanded.

Rick looked up at Ardeth, and Madeline knew by the look on her brother's face that he had bad news to deliver about Ardeth's friend. "I'm sorry, Ardeth," he murmured. "Hamzah… he went down fighting."

Ardeth looked at the ground. Rick clapped him on the shoulder momentarily, trying to be comforting, and then walked on. "This way!" he called over his shoulder. "If we follow the tunnels, we should be able to avoid those creepy bastards up there, and get back to a safe location. Let's go!"

"Um… question," Jonathan asked, following Rick. "What if we get lost?"

"We won't get lost," Rick replied. "I know these sewers like the back of my hand!"

"Well, that's… disturbing."

The two of them walked on ahead. Madeline looked back at Ardeth, who was still standing by the ladder, looking at the ground. The loss of his friend seemed to have hit him hard. She reached out rather hesitantly, and very gently touched his arm.

Ardeth turned around very suddenly, and Madeline yanked her hand back. She stared up into his huge, dark eyes, at a loss for words. Finally, she managed, "We… we should… we need to… yeah."

He nodded, and walked off after Rick and Jonathan. Madeline shook her head at herself, marveling at her inability to speak, and then followed the three men into the depths of the sewer.

* * *


	17. A Trip Through the Sewer

Tongue Tied

Rating: T

Disclaimer: I am not affiliated with the motion picture _The Mummy_. I wish I was, but sadly, I have no rights to anything. Please, please, _please_ don't sue me. I also have no money.

AN: Thanks to cflat, Nelle07, WhiteInnocence, Miskit, Fluorescent-X, OceanFae, Lindsay, and KcrystalLights for the reviews! Made my day! Oh, and to cflat: I honestly have no idea what the answer to that is. I thought Imhotep was speaking Hebrew during that scene because Beni was translating, and Imhotep asked Beni to help him because they could both speak Hebrew and therefore communicate. I didn't think Beni could speak ancient Egyptian. But, like I said, no clue. Very good possibility that I'm wrong. Anyway, thanks again and enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 16: A Trip Through the Sewer

Madeline walked silently at the end of the group, trying to become invisible. She knew it was irrational, but she couldn't help but feel rather guilty. Yeah, Imhotep was way more than any of them could handle, but still. She'd been doing so well. She'd saved the sacred jars. She'd been redeeming herself. At least, that's what it had felt like. Everyone had thought she was an alcoholic and a moron, and all of a sudden, she'd become a hero. Granted, she'd been an alcoholic and accidental hero, but a hero none the less. And then Imhotep had shown up and taken the jars away from her, and now Madeline was right back where she'd started: she was the idiot who couldn't do anything right.

At the head of the group, Rick and Jonathan were arguing – and rather loudly for a couple of people trying to hide from the henchmen of an undead mummy – about whether or not they were lost.

"I'm telling you, I've been down here a million times before!" Rick exclaimed into the darkness. The only light came from the matches he kept lighting. "I know where we're going!"

"Then why is it that you keep stopping and scratching your head like a bloody gorilla?" Jonathan demanded. "I don't think you know where we are at all. I think you're just as lost as the rest of us!"

"Oh, would you shut up, Jonathan?" Rick snapped. "If we _were_ lost, which we're not, then your big mouth would only further distract me and cause us to get more lost. So be quiet!"

"Oh, sure, blame it all on me," Jonathan grumbled. "I think we all know who's to blame here, O'Connell, and it sure as hell isn't the bloody Englishman."

Madeline rolled her eyes. Then she stepped in something cold, gave a muffled squeak, and scampered away from whatever disgusting puddle she'd ended up in. However, she managed to scamper right into Ardeth, whose black robes made it almost impossible to distinguish him from the stone wall, and caused him to stumble into Jonathan, whose consequent little girl scream startled Rick, causing him to jump about three feet in the air and drop both the match he was holding, and the matchbox. The match hit the ground and went out, leaving them all in utter darkness.

"Damn it, Madeline!" Rick shouted.

"How do you know it was my fault?" Madeline demanded.

"It just always is," he retorted, in a bad temper. "Hold on, I'll try to find the matches."

The four of them lapsed into silence. "You know," Ardeth said quietly. Madeline jumped about ten feet in the air.

"Jesus Christ!" she exclaimed, interrupting him. "Damn it, you scared the crap out of me!"

"I am sorry," he replied, and fell silent.

Madeline waited for a moment and then, annoyed and curious, opened her mouth to ask him what he was going to say. However, she was cut off by Jonathan asking, "Well, now that we're all standing around in the dark, can I ask you _why_ you've been gallivanting around the Cairo sewer system, O'Connell?"

Rick sighed, sounding irritated. Madeline could hear him in the dark, trying to find the matches on the damp and dirty sewer floor. "None of your damn business, Jonathan. You know, the rest of you _could_ be useful and _help_ me find the stupid matches!"

Madeline wasn't really scared of the dark. It had never bothered her before. But now, she was getting mildly concerned. She was standing in possibly the most disgusting smelling sewer in the history of big cities, and she couldn't see her hand in front of her face. Rick was lost, whether he'd admit it or not, and she was starting to think they were never going to get out of there. Which, admittedly, might not be such a bad thing, seeing as the world was most likely about to end. Hell, they might as well just stay down there in the sewer. It was probably safer.

"We are wasting time," she heard Ardeth murmur close by her. She didn't think he'd meant for anyone to hear him, but she'd heard him none the less.

There was a small splash, and then Rick shouted, "Damn it!"

"You just lost the bloody matches in the water, didn't you?" Jonathan exclaimed.

A heavy sigh came from Ardeth, which once again, only Madeline picked up on.

"Yeah," Rick said. "Uh… any ideas?"

There was along silence. Madeline had an idea, actually, but she wasn't sure she wanted to voice it. "Um…" she said quietly, trailing off.

"Yes, Maddie?" Rick asked, rather sarcastically. "Do you have something you'd like to share with the class?"

"Maybe if we just… walked along the wall… you know, with our hands against it? And then once we felt something like a ladder, we could just climb back out," Madeline suggested, although not very confidently.

"Are you kidding me?" Jonathan half shouted. "I'm not touching anything down here!"

"Actually," Rick interjected. "That… could work."

"Really?" Madeline replied.

"Yes, really," Rick retorted. "Damn, Madeline, nice self esteem you got there."

"Shut up," she said, rather offended.

"All right everyone, hands on the wall," Rick announced. "Let's go."

Everyone complied and Rick led the way through the sewers. Jonathan and Rick were still bickering up ahead, and Madeline suddenly felt very awkward standing behind Ardeth, with the two of them remaining completely silent. She figured she ought to say something – although, maybe it would be best if she didn't, she thought to herself. At the same time, though, Ardeth had just lost a friend, and she should probably offer her condolences or something. Yeah, that seemed relatively harmless.

"Hey," she whispered.

She didn't so much see as feel Ardeth jump. "Yes?" he asked, sounding slightly irritated, but apparently having too much pride to admit she'd startled him.

"I just… I wanted to say that… I know you're probably upset, and um… I'm sorry about Hamzah." Wow, Madeline thought to herself. That had required a little too much effort considering what she'd been trying to say.

Ardeth was quiet for a moment. "Thank you," he said finally.

"Were you close?" she asked. There was a long pause. "I mean… well, I just wondered. Maybe I shouldn't have asked you that. You probably don't want to talk about it… stupid, yeah… unless you do… do you want to talk about it? I mean, um… you know what? Never mind."

There was another pause. "He was an old friend," Ardeth murmured. "I will miss him. But he died honorably."

Madeline wasn't really sure what to say to that. She got quiet for a moment. Finally, she said, "Well, I'm sorry. He seemed like a decent guy. Kind of irritable, maybe, but then, I'm kind of irritating, so…"

Ardeth made a muffled sound that resembled a cough. Madeline frowned, wondering what the hell that meant. Maybe it was a cue to shut up. "Anyway, I, uh… I'm sorry. That's all I wanted to say."

There was a pause. "Thank you," he said again. Then there was another pause. "You know," Ardeth said suddenly. "You should not let your brother talk to you like that."

"Like what?" Madeline asked.

Ardeth got quiet again. Finally, he said, "I just think that… perhaps he is too harsh with you."

Madeline snorted. "He's just my stupid brother. Besides, everyone knows I'm a screw up. You've barely spoken to me, and even you know I'm a screw up. Admit it; you've been thinking it for awhile now."

"I have not," Ardeth defended himself.

"Well, I'll bet you were thinking it when I showed up to the museum drunk earlier today," Madeline retorted. "Everyone was thinking it. And let's face it, when I pulled that jar out of my bag, you were shocked to see that I'd done something right. Everyone was."

"I was not shocked," Ardeth said. "I was just… surprised. You told me that Imhotep had taken the jars when he killed your companions, and then you discovered one in your bag. I was surprised, like you were surprised."

"Yeah," Madeline agreed. "And I was surprised I'd done something right. Which means you thought I was useless, admit it."

Ardeth refused to answer. He fell quiet again, and Madeline figured that was because he _had_ thought she was useless, and he didn't want to lie or hurt her feelings by telling the truth. Suddenly, he spoke again. "I think you make mistakes," he announced.

"Lots of mistakes," Madeline agreed.

"But maybe you make them on purpose."

Madeline was shocked into silence. No one had ever said that to her before. Was he joking? Why would she purposely make an ass out of herself if she was capable of not making an ass out of herself? That was just plain crazy.

"I make them on purpose?" she repeated incredulously. "Why would I do that?"

There was another silence. "I don't know," he said finally.

Madeline frowned. "Well, I don't either," she said. "So… I don't think that's right."

Ardeth said nothing. "Hey," Madeline said suddenly. "I'm sorry Imhotep got the jars, though. I thought I was doing something right, and then, you know… he got them anyway. Story of my life, right? So, sorry."

"That was not your fault," Ardeth replied. "No one could have stopped him at that point. It was too late."

"Right," Madeline said. Honestly, that didn't make her feel a whole lot better. She should have known better than to think she could fix anything. Even when she'd been doing things right for a change, she still managed to end up failing.

Jonathan and Rick were still arguing ahead of them. "They do not seem to get along," Ardeth observed.

"Yeah, well," Madeline muttered. "What do you expect? The only person Rick likes is his gun."

Ardeth laughed.

Madeline froze. Did Ardeth just laugh? Granted, it wasn't a huge laugh, it was more like a chuckle. But still, _this_ from the man who she'd never seen crack a smile? Madeline frowned, and went on experimentally, "And Jonathan likes everyone…" she said. "Except when he leaves his flask in the car."

Ardeth let loose another small chuckle. Madeline was shocked. She had made Ardeth laugh. Twice.

Up ahead, Jonathan and Rick had stopped their fighting. "Did he just laugh?" Rick asked, meaning Ardeth.

"Uh-huh," Madeline replied, still surprised. "I... I think I broke him."

Ardeth laughed again, and Madeline just about fell right over. "Where the hell did that come from?" Rick asked. "I mean, I've never even seen you smile."

Ardeth didn't reply.

"I don't see what he's got to laugh about down here, anyway," Jonathan grumbled. "This place is dark, dirty, and it smells like a bloody toilet."

"Hey, Jonathan, when life gives you lemons…" Madeline replied. She was feeling pretty good about herself. She'd made Ardeth laugh. And she had done so without humiliating herself.

Maybe it was pity laughter, she thought suddenly. Hadn't they'd just been talking about how worthless she was? It seemed odd that he would laugh at her jokes now when he rarely even smiled at anything.

"I _wish_ life would give me lemons," Jonathan returned, interrupting her downward spiraling train of thought. "Then at least this bloody sewer would have a nice, lemony-fresh scent. That's what this place could use, you know. A proper cleaning."

"I'll alert the maid," Rick replied sarcastically. "Good news, everyone. I found a ladder."

"Finally!" Jonathan exclaimed. "Let's get the hell out of this dank and stinky prison, shall we? I'll go first!"

Jonathan fumbled about for the rungs of the ladder and then clambered up the steps. Rick sighed. "I better go next," he announced. "Something tells me he won't be able to open the manhole cover."

Rick pulled himself up the ladder. Madeline and Ardeth stood at the bottom in silence. "After you," Ardeth announced.

Madeline didn't really know what to say to that, so she said nothing and climbed up after her brother. It was odd, she thought to herself as she climbed. But she had just had a conversation with Ardeth. A normal conversation, as though she was a normal person. She'd barely stuttered at all. It was sort of like the conversation she'd had with Henderson in the desert – she could talk to him if she didn't look at him. That explained it all, didn't it? Cast in absolute darkness, unable to see Ardeth's face, Madeline had found herself capable of speaking to him. Now, if only she could master the art of talking to a man while making eye contact, and she'd be set.

Huh, she thought suddenly. It occurred to her that she'd been able to talk to Henderson as long as she didn't look at his face – and then Imhotep had killed him. Uh-oh. She hoped that didn't mean Ardeth was going to be the next to die.

* * *


	18. A Crazy Old Man

Tongue Tied

Rating: T

Disclaimer: I am not affiliated with the motion picture _The Mummy_. I wish I was, but sadly, I have no rights to anything. Please, please, _please_ don't sue me. I also have no money.

AN: Thank you to Lindsay, Nelle07, KcrystalLights, RopedMeASparrow, OceanFae, WhiteInnocence, Mariella D'Angelo, Miskit, slythwolf, Fluorescent-X, and Ravenclaw Samurai for the reviews! Also, I looked over chapter 16, and Mariella D'Angelo and Fluorescent-X, you were right. I went back and tried to vary up what Madeline was saying so there weren't so many "yeah, well..."s. It's still the same chapter, though, so don't feel the need to reread it. You'll just be bored. Thanks again!

* * *

Chapter 17: A Crazy Old Man

As Madeline climbed out of the sewer, taking Rick's extended hand and stumbling to her feet on the pavement beside the manhole, she was shocked to see how silent the world around them had become. There was no noise and no people, only a very soft breeze and a heavy fog creeping through the streets of Cairo.

Beside her, Jonathan was staring around in wonder, his face fixed in an expression not unlike the one he'd worn back at Hamunaptra when he'd tried to decipher a relief on the wall. He was confused, and Madeline knew exactly how he felt.

Rick was now helping Ardeth out of the sewer – or at least attempting to. Ardeth didn't seem interested in accepting his hand. Madeline walked over to Jonathan's side. "It got kind of… creepy out here, didn't it?" she said.

Jonathan turned to look at her, the perplexed look still on his face. "Where did all the bloody zombies go?" he asked.

Madeline shrugged. "How the hell am I supposed to know?"

"You know what I want to know?" Rick announced from behind them, startling them both. "What is that smell?"

Madeline sniffed the air, and immediately got a whiff of what he was talking about. The scent was hard to place. It was almost mildew-y, but at the same time much more sinister. Madeline wasn't exactly sure how a smell could be sinister – but somehow, the smell she currently smelled had sinister written all over it.

"Well…" Jonathan murmured, his perplexed look fading and becoming merely unsettled. "I say we head back to the car, eh gentlemen?" There was a beat, and then Jonathan added compromisingly, "And Maddie."

"That sounds great, Jonathan," Madeline returned, sarcasm creeping into her voice. "Does anyone know where the car _is_?"

Silence descended over the four of them. "Well…" Jonathan murmured again. "I think we came from _that_ direction while we were down in the sewer," He pointed off behind the group. "So, I suppose we ought to try that way. Kind of difficult to tell with all this bloody fog, though. When did this sprout up anyway?"

"There's something very wrong out here," Rick announced, glancing around them furtively. "Let's… try to stick together, all right?"

"Why, are you scared?" Madeline asked, playing the role of annoying little sister. She didn't know why this particular moment had inspired her to immaturity, but teasing her older brother was almost reassuring in a way.

"No," Rick retorted, glaring at her. "But a whole heck of a lot of people died today, and I think the rest of us ought to try to stay alive. Is that all right with you, Madeline?"

"That's fine with me," she returned. "I just think you're scared, is all."

"Shut up," Rick said, pointing a threatening finger in her face, and then turning in the direction Jonathan had proposed they'd head. "Let's go," he announced, leading the way through the streets.

Madeline fell to the back of the line the way she usually did. It was difficult to see through the heavy mists around them – the freaking buildings were barely distinguishable – but what was really upsetting was the fact that the farther they walked, the stronger the smell got.

"I know that smell," Ardeth murmured suddenly. He was just ahead of her. Madeline heard him, but Rick and Jonathan hadn't seemed to.

"What is it?" she asked.

He turned to look back over his shoulder at her. "Death," he replied.

Madeline crinkled her nose at him. "Death?" she repeated.

He nodded.

"Oh," she said. "That's, uh… not good."

He shook his head in affirmation, and then turned away from her. Madeline wasn't really concerned about whether or not she sounded intelligent at the moment – the Med-jai leader's announcement troubled her far too much for her to focus on anything else. He smelled death, and they were walking right into it.

Huh. Maybe she should say something.

"What the hell…?" she heard Rick say from the front of the line. Beside him, Jonathan gagged loudly.

The three men in front of her stopped to stare. Madeline may have been pretty tall, but she still couldn't see what they were looking at from where she was standing behind them. Curious, Madeline pushed her way between Rick and Jonathan.

"Whoa, Maddie," Rick said, blocking her way. "I don't think you want to see this."

"Well, then what I'm supposed to do?" Madeline snapped. "Close my freaking eyes and let you steer me around? Don't be insane!"

Rick sighed heavily. "All right, fine, but you're probably going to throw up. It's pretty gross, and you kind of have a weak stomach."

"I do not!" Madeline protested.

"Actually, you rather do," Jonathan announced. "You throw up a lot."

"Shut up, Jonathan," Madeline replied, pushing him out of her way in order to see what was so gross. Then she gagged loudly, much like Jonathan before her.

"Told you," Rick said.

"Shut up, I didn't vomit," Madeline snapped, despite the fact that what she was looking at was enough to make her want to. "Oh, that's disgusting."

They had found Jonathan's car, all right. Apart from the one side still resting on the ruined street cart, the vehicle was unharmed. A quick push off the debris, and it should be fine to drive. The problem, though, was that the car happened to be surrounded by a lot of the mysteriously vanishing zombies. In their current state, they were no longer a threat – but they sure didn't look good.

Every last one of Imhotep's slaves was laying dead in the street, still covered in sores and boils that were still oozing puss despite the fact that the people they were attached to were no longer alive. Most of their eyes were wide open and glassy, staring unblinkingly up into the heavy fog. The smell radiating off of them was absolutely horrible, but the worse part was their chests. It looked as though their hearts had exploded inside their ribcages, and the blast had blown their chests wide open. Their blood stained their shirts and their robes, and Madeline could see the broken, jagged rib bones poking through the chests of the corpses nearest her. It was more than gross. It was unthinkable.

"I don't understand," she murmured. "What happened?"

"Imhotep has what he wants," Ardeth announced stonily from the side, something like disgust creeping into his voice. "And he thinks that we are dead. He no longer had any use for them."

Angrily, Ardeth stormed out into the sea of dead bodies and approached Jonathan's car. "We must hurry," he announced. "The sun will rise soon. Imhotep has had too much time to reach Hamunaptra. I fear even now that we will be too late."

Rick, Jonathan, and Madeline also waded through the gore and the four of them began trying to push the convertible off of the cart it was stuck on. "So, I'm going to guess that camels and horses and the usual sort of desert transportation isn't going to cut it in this situation, is it?" Rick said almost conversationally as the four of them struggled with the car's weight.

Ardeth shook his head. "Imhotep has control over the sands," he replied. "He will use that control to get to the City."

"Well, then we'll just have to find alternative means of transportation, won't we?" Rick announced, looking slyly at Madeline.

"Such as?" Ardeth asked almost bitterly. "What can we possibly do…?"

"Winston," Madeline interrupted him, understanding passing between her and her older brother.

"Winston," Rick nodded.

Mild guilt crept into Madeline's gut. "It's dangerous," she pointed out.

"Precisely," Rick replied. "He'll love it."

"Maybe," Madeline returned. "But it might kill him."

"Another thing about this plan that he'll love," Rick countered.

Madeline sighed. "Maddie, be sensible," Rick said. "We don't really have any other choice."

She sighed again, and nodded. "You're right," she agreed. "We really don't. And stop calling me Maddie!"

"Sorry, sorry," Rick replied, obviously not meaning it.

Jonathan hopped into his convertible, which was now free of the street cart, and started the ignition. "Well, then, everyone get in," he said. "Let's go. The airfield, I presume?"

"That's right," Rick replied, climbing into the passenger's seat beside Jonathan. This left Madeline to get in the back of the car with Ardeth. Pressing herself into the corner of the rumble seat, she attempted to avoid eye contact by staring out into the street – which was, of course, a mistake, since the streets were littered with zombie corpses.

Madeline closed her eyes, and faced straight ahead. This was going to be a long ride.

"How far is the airfield?" Ardeth asked. "And who is this Winston person?"

"The airfield's not too far," Rick replied. "We'll be there by sun up. And Winston is Winston Havelock, the last man stationed here in the British air force."

"So… he will have a plane?" Ardeth said.

"Precisely," Rick grinned.

Ardeth mumbled something under his breath, which sounded a lot to Madeline like "I hate planes," but she didn't ask for clarification. The sun was starting to rise now, and since she was no longer staring down death or navigating a sewage system, she had time to think about Evie.

Madeline hadn't been close to the woman, but that didn't mean she hadn't like her. Evie had always been very nice to her, and Madeline had rather liked her spirit. She didn't want anything to happen to the aspiring archeologist. Not to mention, she was Jonathan's sister, and since Madeline had grown rather fond of Jonathan, she was also concerned about Evie's fate for Jonathan's sake. Not only Jonathan's sake, but also for her big dumb older brother too. Rick was clearly smitten with Evie, and she could tell by the way he gnawed on his knuckles as Jonathan drove that he was much more worried than he was letting on. They had a limited amount of time to reach Evelyn, and if they didn't, well – Evie was going to die, and the world was going to end.

Cheery, she thought to herself. Maybe she ought to think about something else.

"Maddie, old girl, you're being awful quiet back there," Jonathan announced.

Madeline jumped. Had she missed something? "What are you talking about?" she asked. "Everyone's being awful quiet."

"Yes, but I feel like you've said less than the others," he replied.

Madeline looked at him funny, even though he couldn't see her from the driver's seat. "So what?" she retorted. "Is that really such a bad thing?"

"I don't know, I suppose I miss the sweet chimes of your voice," Jonathan returned jokingly.

Madeline frowned, and then leaned forward and said in his ear, "You're weird."

Jonathan chuckled. "Well, in all seriousness Maddie, you usually wind up saying something rather funny, and it keeps my mind off the bad things, like evil mummies and the oncoming end of the world."

Madeline surveyed the rest of the car. "I'm guessing he's the only one that feels that way," she announced.

"Damn straight," Rick grunted, sounding like he had a headache.

Madeline glared at her older brother. "Oh, yeah? Well, I don't like you. In fact, I only love you because you're family and I'm obligated."

"Likewise, kiddo."

"Oh, just… shut up," Madeline groused, crossing her arms in front of her chest petulantly.

"See, now this is the repartee I was missing," Jonathan announced.

"Shut up, Jonathan," Madeline and Rick said together.

"Do you people always act like this?" Ardeth asked suddenly.

Madeline frowned at him. "Did you just make a joke?"

"No, I'm curious," he returned.

Madeline's frown deepened. "Did I just detect sarcasm? From you?"

Ardeth rolled his eyes and looked out his side of the car.

Oh, great. She'd offended him. Well, his joke was offensive. You know, to her. Oh, whatever. Madeline cleared her throat. "See, I didn't mean that like it sounded," she said, attempting to gloss things over. "I was just… lightening the mood. Yeah, lightening the mood. So, um, what I mean is…."

"Oh, shut up, Madeline, it's too late to backpedal now," Jonathan announced.

Madeline glared at the back of Jonathan's head. "What happened to wanting to hear the sweet chimes of my voice?"

"I must have been temporarily insane when I said that."

"Oh, really? Well, you can't see it, but I'm flicking you off right now."

"Ok, kids, if you can't play nice, you're walking to the airfield." Rick announced.

"You can't kick me out my own car!" Jonathan retorted. "Hell, I'm driving!"

Rick rolled his eyes. Madeline heard a muffled coughing noise on Ardeth's end. That's when it hit her.

The coughing noises? The facial twitching? Well, duh, Madeline, what is wrong with you? She couldn't believe her own stupidity. All those times he'd made a weird noise or twitched his mouth, he was trying not to laugh. For some reason, he didn't like for people to see him laugh, and so he tried to hide it. Probably because they made fun of him every time he_ did_ laugh. At least, that's what Madeline and her stupid companions kept doing.

Which meant she had been making Ardeth laugh all this time, not just in the sewer. She'd done that. In fact, she was just about the only person there capable of making the stern Med-jai leader crack a smile. Granted, most of the funny things she did were a: accidental and b: humiliating, but still, she had at least one thing going for her, right? Maybe this was a good thing.

Or maybe not. Huh. Now she was under a whole hell of a lot of pressure to be funny. She wasn't she sure she could handle that. If she started trying to be funny and then failed, that would be even worse than all the times she'd been funny by accident.

Oh, what the hell was her problem? Just stop it, Madeline, she thought to herself. What did she think she was going to do? Get Ardeth's attention by making him laugh? And then what exactly? What was she trying to do here, get a date? He was the leader of the freaking Med-jai; he didn't date! He just walked around, being attractive, and guarding Hamunaptra, which meant he spent all his time in the freaking desert. He probably didn't even know what a date was. His tribe probably had arranged marriages or something like that. And their women didn't wear pants, she'd bet her last dollar on that. She'd also bet that didn't drink themselves unconscious and act like idiots either. There was just so much against her. Not that it mattered. She was just jealous because Rick had found himself a little girlfriend. So now she was latching onto anything male that crossed her path in hopes that someone wouldn't think she was an idiot and give her a kiss or something so she wouldn't feel quite so bad about herself. That was pathetic. She was pathetic. And racist. That whole inner monologue about the desert and the arranged marriages and women not wearing pants was a little prejudiced. Hm. Great. Now she was racist. She supposed she was going to have to work on that.

No, she wasn't a racist. She couldn't be a racist if she was attracted to Ardeth. And it wasn't like she had parents to be shocked by the thought of their daughter with an Egyptian… ok, you're done, Madeline, she interrupted herself. You're done, you're just done. Think about something else, like the end of the world. Whew, that's better. Ok. No more trying to flirt with the desert man. You suck at it. In fact, you don't even know _how_ to flirt. If this is how you flirt, well it's no wonder you've never had a boyfriend, is it? Just quit while you're behind. Save it for someone who might actually be interested.

"Who exactly is this Winston Havelock person?"

Madeline looked up in surprise, realizing Ardeth was talking to her. Jonathan and Rick were in discussion about something up in the front of the car – what, was anybody's guess. "Winston's just what Rick said he was," she replied. "Last air force member stationed in Egypt."

"Yes," Ardeth agreed. "But how do you know him?"

"Oh, we met him when Rick was serving the British army," Madeline explained. "That didn't last very long. He left – well, he was kind of forced to leave – and then he joined a French garrison. But he met Winston before he left. Winston took a liking to Rick, and so I met him when Rick started inviting him over to dinner and stuff… I don't know why he invited Winston over to dinner, I can't cook, and neither can Rick… but Winston didn't seem to mind, he was too drunk to really taste any of the food… he's a nice old man. A crazy old man, but a nice one."

"What makes you think he'll help?" Ardeth pressed.

"Like I said," Madeline replied. "He's a crazy old man. He lives to die in glory." Seeing the look on Ardeth's face, she rushed to add, "Yeah, I know, I don't get it either. But trust me, he'll help. And he'll enjoy every last minute."

Ardeth nodded. "All right," he murmured.

There was an awkward silence between the two of them. Madeline gnawed on her lip, trying to think of something intelligent to say. The only thing she could think of, however, was asking him what he'd meant when he'd told her that he thought she made mistakes on purpose. That comment was still bothering her. However, she was _not_ going to ask him that. She was _not_. Anything but that.

"What did you mean when you said you think I make mistakes on purpose?" she asked in a rush. Damn it. It was like she had no self control.

He blinked at her in surprise – which didn't surprise Madeline in the least. Honestly, she as just as surprised as he was. "Um… never mind," she said.

Ardeth turned from her and focused his attention outside of the car once again. Madeline grimaced and smacked herself in the forehead, also turning her attention to the outside of the car. She couldn't wait for all this to be over.

* * *


	19. A Plane Ride with Winston Havelock

Tongue Tied

Rating: T

Disclaimer: I am not affiliated with the motion picture _The Mummy_. I wish I was, but sadly, I have no rights to anything. Please, please, _please_ don't sue me. I also have no money.

AN: Thank you to my reviewers: Ocean Fae, Nelle07, KcrystalLights, Anonymous, WhiteInnocence, Makayla, Lindsay, and Ravenclaw Samurai. You guys rule!

* * *

Chapter 18: A Plane Ride with Winston Havelock

The sun was up as Jonathan steered the yellow convertible through the gates leading to the airfield. Madeline, thoroughly tired of humiliating herself, had tried to remain quiet for the remainder of the ride. Her companions had gotten quiet as well, and the car was completely silent when Jonathan parked inside the gates. Peering out into the distance, Madeline could see Winston seated under an umbrella on a sand dune, listening to a phonograph in the company of a servant, and drinking his morning tea.

The four of them got out of the car and began the walk over to the elderly man. "Is that him?" Ardeth asked Madeline.

She glanced at him only momentarily before answering, "Yeah, that's Winston."

Ardeth was frowning in Winston's direction. "He seems rather… odd."

How Ardeth could tell that from so far away was beyond Madeline, but she couldn't deny the accuracy of his observation. She figured it must have something to do with the fact that Winston was wearing his air force uniform under some strange, delicate desert robe. "Well, I did tell you," she replied. "He's a nice old man, but he's also a crazy one."

"Morning, Winston!" Rick shouted at his old army buddy as the four of them got closer to where the older man was lounging. "Uh, a word?"

Winston looked up from his tea to see Rick and his companions approaching him. "O'Connell!" he cried, putting his tea down on the small table beside him. "What brings you out here this morning?"

"Well, Winston," Rick replied, finally reaching the man. "We've got problems."

Winston saw Madeline then, and got to his feet. "Maddie, my dear!" he cried, enveloping her in a huge hug. "Well, this is a nice treat! I've seen you what, two days in a row now? What is my favorite girl up to?"

Madeline grinned, hugging the grandfatherly man back. "Actually, Winston," she replied. "I'm trying to save the world."

Winston drew back from her, raising a gray eyebrow. "What is this now?" he asked, chortling. "Are you playing some kind of prank on old Winston, my dear?"

"Oh, if only I was," Madeline said, shaking her head with a sad grin.

Winston looked over at Rick. "Look, I'm not about to go into particulars," Rick announced. "We don't have that kind of time, and besides, you wouldn't believe a damn word I said. But here's the deal: we're after a particularly nasty fellow who's gone off and disappeared into the desert with my buddy Jonathan's sister." He jerked his thumb at Jonathan, and then continued with, "Now, we need to get out there, and we need to get out there fast. So I thought maybe you'd be willing to lend us a hand? We could use a plane."

Winston looked skeptical, taking another sip of his tea. "You thought I'd be willing to help you, did you?" he asked, setting his tea back down. "Well, tell me, O'Connell, exactly what led you to that conclusion. What does your little problem have to do with His Majesty's Royal Air Corp?"

"Not a damn thing," Rick replied with a slight grin.

Madeline couldn't help but grin either when she saw Winston's facial expression change completely. "Is it dangerous?" he inquired, childish excitement gleaming in his eyes.

"Well, you probably won't live through it," Rick replied.

"By Jove, do you really think so?" Winston asked with far too much enthusiasm.

"Well, everyone else we've bumped into has died, why not you?" Jonathan returned.

Ardeth frowned at both Jonathan and Winston, and then glanced over at Madeline with curiosity. She couldn't blame him. This was not a normal conversation.

"Well, what's the… what's the challenge then?" Winston was getting excited now.

"Rescue the damsel in distress, kill the bad guy, save the world," Rick replied.

Winston laughed heartily. "Oh, ha-ha-ha! Winston Havelock, at your service, sir! Ha-ha!"

Madeline grinned, amused by the elderly man's antics. Suddenly, he frowned and looked over at Madeline. "Is Maddie coming?" he asked.

"Um, yeah," Madeline replied. "Why wouldn't I be coming?"

"Well, I say," Winston said, worry in his voice. "If it's as dangerous as you claim, don't you think it wise if Maddie stays here? We can't have her running around the desert, getting in harm's way. We'll have two damsels in distress to rescue!"

"What is that suppose to mean?" Madeline asked, rather hurt.

"Oh, Maddie, my dear, you know I didn't mean it like that," he replied, patting her on the shoulder. "But I worry about you. This sounds like battle, and that is no place for a pretty young girl like you." He tweaked her nose.

Madeline rolled her eyes. She supposed it was sweet that Winston tried to look out for her, but she wished he wouldn't say things like that. First of all, she wasn't pretty. Winston had always had a fatherly affection for her, and so she knew that in his eyes she was flawless, but in her own heart she knew better. The last thing she was was a pretty young girl. And furthermore, pretty or not, battle happened to be the only place for a girl like her. Fighting was the only damn thing she was good at. The hell she was staying behind.

"Maddie will be fine out there," Rick replied. "She's got a good aim, and she certainly hits harder than Jonathan over here. She's coming."

Madeline smiled slightly. Rick was finally coming through for her.

"I don't know," Winston said, shaking his head. He was clearly still unconvinced. "I don't like the sound of it."

"We need all the help we can get," Ardeth spoke up. Madeline looked at him with surprise. "I have seen her fight. We cannot afford to leave her behind."

A slight smile spread across Madeline's face. She gave Ardeth a grateful glance before turning away from him. The last thing she needed was for him to see her face turn fire engine red, and that was exactly what it was about to do. Madeline didn't take compliments very well.

"Even still," Winston pushed on. "What if something should happen to your sister?"

"Nothing's going to happen to my sister," Rick replied. "I won't let it."

"I'm going to hold you to that," Winston returned, waving a rather parental finger at Rick.

"I give you my word," Rick said.

"Well, all right then," Winston said. "This way!"

As Winston led the way to his plane, Madeline fell into step alongside her older brother. "Nothing's going to happen to me?" she asked teasingly. "You won't let it? Aww, that's the sweetest thing you've ever said about me."

"Shut up," Rick grumbled. Madeline laughed. "You better not die, kid, and I mean it. Winston will have my ass."

"Cross my heart," she replied.

He rolled his eyes and walked on ahead of her. Madeline followed at a safe distance, feeling rather good about herself. Both Rick and Ardeth had stood up for her, determined to let her come on this suicide mission, and she was happy for it.

"Which is it that you prefer? Maddie or Madeline?"

Madeline jumped. Ardeth had moved up to walk alongside her, and it was he that had asked the question. "Why do you want to know?" she asked.

He raised an eyebrow. "Why would I not want to know?"

Madeline opened her mouth to reply, but shut it quickly without a word, suddenly realizing she had no answer to that.

Ardeth looked away from her. "I am curious," he said. "Everyone seems to call you Maddie, but I get the impression that you do not like it."

"You get the right impression," she replied. "Madeline. I prefer Madeline."

He nodded. "Then I will call you Madeline."

For some reason, Madeline suddenly felt another round of serious blushing coming on. She didn't know why, but this moment felt important, like maybe this was Ardeth's way of showing that he was coming to respect her, despite her past mistakes. So, in typical Madeline fashion, she did the only thing she knew how to do: she destroyed the moment.

"Has any one ever called you Ardie?" she asked.

He looked at her. There was no expression on his face, but there was a glower in his eyes. Madeline could have hit herself, but she thought that would only further embarrass her. "Not that I want to," she hastened to explain. "I… I was just curious."

Unexpectedly, a small smile spread across his face. "When I was younger," he said. "Some of the older boys would bully me. They called me Ardie, even though I did not like it – _because_ I did not like it. The worst part was, the name caught on. Everyone started to call me that. No matter what I said, they would not stop. Of course, they do not call me that anymore."

"They don't?" Madeline asked. "How'd you get them to stop?"

He smiled slightly again, looking to the ground. "A punch to the jaw usually did the trick."

Madeline stared at him in shock. Then, a slight smile formed on her lips as well. "I'll have to remember that," she said.

His smile widened, but only a little. "I was hot-tempered when I was younger," he murmured. "Impulsive. Easily angered. I had to learn patience."

Madeline looked down at the sand. "I guess that's something we have in common," she muttered. "Except I haven't learned any of that patience you're going on about yet."

Before Ardeth could reply, Winston announced from the front of the group, "Well, here she is, gentlemen! Oh, and Maddie, of course. Isn't she beautiful?"

Everyone murmured in appreciation – false appreciation. Madeline attempted an impressed smile for Winston's sake. She knew he loved his airplane, but she didn't really see what there was to get so excited about. The plane was aging and dirty, the yellow paint was starting to peel, and she knew from past experience that the engine gave off the worst smelling exhaust the whole world over.

Winston was surveying his plane, a frown on his face. "Well, I believe we may have a problem," he murmured. "How am I going to fit all of you into this contraption?"

He surveyed the group before him. "Well, one of you can ride inside with me," he murmured. "But I suppose two of you will have to be strapped down to the wings. But the last one… well, I suppose I'll have to double up on one side, won't I? That seems the reasonable thing to do. It'll throw me off balance slightly, but I'm sure we can manage it. Now, Maddie, why don't you take the seat behind me?"

"I think I better take that seat," Rick intervened. "Maddie's a good shot, yeah, but I don't think she's ever fired a machine gun before."

Madeline glowered at her brother. "Are you saying I can't handle that gun?" she asked dangerously.

"No," Rick replied. "I'm saying that you _haven't_ handled that gun, and since _I_ have,_ I _should be the one to handle it this time. Since, you know, our lives may depend on it."

Madeline rolled her eyes. "Whatever," she said. "It makes more sense for me to be on one of the wings anyway. I weigh less than you. It'll help Winston balance more if I ride with Jonathan."

"Are you calling me a lightweight?" Jonathan interrupted, sounding rather offended.

"In all areas except your drinking," Madeline returned with a smirk.

"I was proposing that Maddie take the seat behind me, because it's less dangerous," Winston announced. "It wouldn't be right, strapping her to the wing like that."

"She'll live," Rick retorted, stuffing his bag into the back seat of the plane. Winston looked like he wanted to continue arguing the point, but refrained.

"I thought you weren't going to let anything bad happen to me," Madeline said innocently.

Rick turned on her, a warning finger in her face. "I'm not," he growled. "But if you don't _let that go_, I _am_ going to _make_ something bad happen to you."

Madeline rolled her eyes. "Oh, you will not."

Rick gave her a final glare before returning to business. "All right, Ardeth on the right wing, Madeline and Jonathan on the left. Winston, get some straps or something. It's time to get this baby in the air. Let's go!"

* * *

Madeline was not comfortable. They'd been in the air for a good hour now, and were currently flying over the desert, fast approaching Hamunaptra. Fortunately, the wings of the plane provided her with enough shade that she didn't have to worry about the sun, but being strapped to the wing of a plane begin driven haphazardly by Winston Havelock wasn't nearly as fun as she'd anticipated. And it certainly didn't help that she was strapped in beside Jonathan, who screamed in her ear at every little jolt.

There was a loud whistle, and Madeline looked up to see Rick trying to get their attention. "Are you all right?!" he shouted over the roar of the plane's engine.

"Do I bloody look all right?!" Jonathan shouted back.

Madeline looked over at Jonathan, and then looked back at her brother with a scoff. "We're fine!" she hollered. "He's a whiner!"

Rick gave her the thumbs up sign, and then turned away, letting loose another whistle, presumably to get Ardeth's attention and ask the same question.

Madeline sighed and looked down at the sand below her. It was a good thing she wasn't scared of heights, or she'd be in twice the hell she already was.

"You see that?!" she heard Winston shout to her brother, pointing off to the left. Madeline followed his finger with her eyes, and saw a large sand twister spiraling furiously through the desert beside them. "I've never seen one so big!"

"Never?" Rick called back, sounding ill at ease.

"No!" Winston replied, returning to his steering.

Madeline frowned at the twister herself, wondering if Rick was thinking the same thing she was: Imhotep had control over the sands. And he was headed this way.

Her prediction proved true. The twister dissipated, and suddenly she saw three figures standing below them in the sand.

Before she could say anything to Rick, however, the winds began to pick up, and she heard Rick shout, "Oh, my god! Hey, Winston? Peddle faster!"

"What now?" Madeline demanded as loudly as she could, looking over her shoulder at whatever Rick was staring openmouthed at. Her eyes widened in surprise. A wall of sand was rushing towards their small plane, threatening to completely engulf them. It seemed to span the whole width of the desert, and rose up much higher than the plane could fly.

"Oh, shit," she swore, turning back around.

"Hang on, men!" Winston yelled. Suddenly, the plane increased its speed, and dipped way down in the sky. All the passengers on board began hollering.

"What is going on?!" Jonathan asked loudly.

"Just don't look behind you!" Madeline replied.

Jonathan, of course, did the exact opposite, and looked directly behind him. "What the bloody hell is that?!" he exclaimed.

Madeline shook her head. Suddenly, to her surprise, she heard the machine gun going off. Turning in amazement, she saw her older brother firing the gun into the approaching sand wall, as though he actually thought he was going to stop it. Then she saw the face in the sand. Yes, the face. Madeline had seen a lot of strange things since this whole stupid adventure had begun, but this one took the cake. However, face or no face, she still didn't understand why Rick was shooting at sand. Staring at him incredulously, Madeline exclaimed, "What the hell are you doing? Are you _actually_ _shooting_ at freaking _sand_?!"

Rick looked over his shoulder at her, releasing his grip on the trigger. Madeline continued to look at him like he was the biggest idiot she had ever seen. "Shut up," he replied.

That's when everything went to hell. The face in the sand opened its mouth and groaned – yes, Madeline heard the sand face _groan_ – and then the approaching sand finally caught up to their tiny aircraft. Rick put his goggles on and ducked down in his seat. Madeline attempted to cover her head as best she could, but she was at a slight disadvantage, being strapped to the freaking wing of the goddamn plane.

"What's going on now?!" Jonathan shouted.

"Put your head down, you moron!" Madeline shouted back. "The plane's going to crash!"

The sand literally swallowed the airplane, and the engines quickly began to sputter. "Oh my god, I'm going to die!" Jonathan cried in her ear.

"Shut up, Jonathan!" Madeline exclaimed.

The plane was tossed about in the whirling, angry desert sands for what felt like years. Jonathan screamed in her ear for a record amount of time. She heard Rick yelling as well, and then realized that she too was screaming. The plane began to spiral, and Madeline and her companions found themselves being rolled upside down, back upright, and then upside down again. Things didn't look good for the tiny rescue party.

"Here I come, laddies!" she heard Winston cry out in exhilaration.

Then suddenly, inexplicably, the sand began to dissipate. The plane was freed from its whirlwind prison, and the twister itself disappeared. For a moment, Madeline allowed herself to feel relief – but only for a moment. The engines continued to sputter, and then, the next thing she knew, they exploded into flame. Smoking and shaking, the plane nosedived, and crashed violently into the sand dunes below.

* * *


	20. A Long Walk

Tongue Tied

Rating: T

Disclaimer: I am not affiliated with the motion picture _The Mummy_. I wish I was, but sadly, I have no rights to anything. Please, please, _please_ don't sue me. I also have no money.

AN: Thanks to my reviewers: OceanFae, WhiteInnocence, and Nelle07. Here's the next chapter!

* * *

Chapter 19: A Long Walk

Madeline opened her eyes, blinking painfully in the bright desert sunlight. Everything hurt. On impact, the wings of the plane had cleaved from the body, and were sticking out of the sand at odd angles. Madeline's straps had broken, and she'd hit the ground. Oh, well – at least she wasn't knocked unconscious. She glanced over and up at Jonathan, who was still trapped in his straps and dangling from the wing. "Excuse me?" he called out. "Um… a little help would be useful… if it's not too much _trouble_!"

"Relax, Jonathan, I got it," Madeline announced with a trace of amusement in her voice, reaching into her back pocket and pulling out her pocket knife. Still lying on the ground, she reached up and sliced through Jonathan's straps, and he fell in the sand beside her.

"Thank you for that," he said, sounding rather surly.

"Don't mention it," she replied, sitting up slowly. Looking around her, she saw Ardeth stumbling around, trying desperately to keep his balance, and Rick rooting through the rubble for his huge bag. Ardeth made his way over to where the machine gun was mounted to the back of the plane, and started attempting to yank it loose.

"You all right, Maddie?" Rick called over to her.

"I'm fine!" Madeline replied, slowly getting to her feet, swaying slightly, and pulling her helmet off. Her headband went with it, and her ridiculously long hair fell in her face. Blowing it out of her eyes, she looked up to see Ardeth staring at her. They made eye contact, and then he quickly turned away, examining the newly dismounted machine gun.

Madeline frowned. What the hell was he looking at anyway? She watched him make his way slowly from the plane, engrossed in the weapon in his hands. When he'd removed his helmet, it had knocked loose his turban, and his thick, curly, black hair now fell in his face in just the right way. He looked even more attractive than usual.

Madeline cursed inwardly, and forced herself to stop staring at Ardeth. She turned to Rick, who was making his way over to the front of the plane. The aircraft was nose first in the sand, sticking out at an odd angle. "Winston!" he called, making his way through the debris. "Hey, Winston!"

Madeline frowned, watching her brother kneel beside the cockpit, where Winston was still strapped in. She drew closer, hesitantly, afraid of what she was going to find. Rick had grown far too quiet. She watched from a distance as he pressed his fingers into Winston's neck. Rick's head hung low, and he dropped his hand at his side. He turned to look at his younger sister, and the expression on his face said it all. Madeline's own hand automatically flew up to her mouth. Winston was dead.

Before she could react any further than that, a loud rumbling sounded, and the plane began to shake. The sand under her feet began to move, and with horror, Madeline realized she was sinking.

"Quicksand!" she heard Ardeth yell, practically in her ear. He grabbed her arm and tugged her back away from the quickly sinking debris. "Get back! It's quicksand!"

He yanked her far away from the quicksand and she stumbled into him, grabbing his arm to maintain her balance. Rick and Jonathan staggered back from the plane, racing over to where Ardeth had dragged Madeline. Embarrassed, she let go of his arm, and pulled away from his grip. "Uh… thanks," she said, not looking at him.

He nodded, not looking at her either. "You are welcome."

The four of them came to rest in a single line, staring at the plane as it sunk below the ground. Beside her, Rick raised his hand to his forehead in salute. That just about did Madeline in. She blinked furiously, feeling her eyes starting to water. Damn it, Winston, she couldn't cry now, not in front of everyone. Why did everyone she cared about in life have to have some sort of insane death wish?

Rick dropped his hand at his side, the salute over. Then he turned, shouldering his shotgun, and led the way to the City of the Dead. It was time to move on. They had more important things to worry about.

The four of them began the long, hot, dusty walk to Hamunaptra. Madeline was in quite the dilemma. She wasn't much for public displays of hysterical crying. In fact, the last time she had even cried in private was… well, to be perfectly honest, she didn't remember. That's how long it had been. Madeline hated to cry. Besides, there wasn't much that made her cry. Growing up in a Cairo orphanage, and then living on the streets for years after, had made her rather immune to tears. Bad shit happened, she got humiliated (or drunk) and then she accepted it as part of life, and went on to make her next mistake. That was the way she and Rick had lived their entire lives. But today, her tears were getting the best of her. In fact, her emotions had been getting the best of her a lot lately. Madeline supposed she didn't handle stress well – at least, not this kind of stress. Rick, of course, was holding it together beautifully, but Madeline was fighting to keep it all in.

It wasn't right that Winston had died. They never should have dragged the poor man into this mess. Oh, sure, she knew they'd needed a plane in order to save the world and all that, but Madeline couldn't help but feel this way – she had truly cared for the old man. He hadn't been a father figure (she'd never had a father figure) but he had been nearly as important to her.

The tears were coming now, whether she wanted them to or not. She couldn't stop them. One or two began to drip down her cheeks, and Madeline stared off to her left, in hopes of disguising the fact that she was crying. "Damn it, Madeline," she whispered to herself, trying to wipe the teardrops away as discreetly as possible. "Stop leaking, would you?"

Suddenly, she felt a heavy hand on her shoulder. She jumped, turned quickly, and saw that Ardeth was staring at her. He quickly drew his hand back, as though he'd been bitten. Crap. He now had a perfect view of her red eyes and damp face.

She blinked, and looked away while wiping her eyes hurriedly, clearly humiliated. "Are you all right?" he asked quietly.

Well, at least he had enough tact not to draw attention to her. The only way this could get worse was if Rick and Jonathan decided to turn around and watch her cry too. "I'm fine," she replied, as quietly as she could. "I'm not crying. I just… I just have sand in my eyes."

He nodded. "Of course," he agreed, although he clearly didn't believe her.

"What?" Madeline snapped. She couldn't help it – crying made her edgy. "You don't think I have sand in my eyes? We're in the middle of the freaking desert! It's entirely reasonable that I might have sand in my eyes."

Ardeth only nodded again. "Yes," he murmured. "It is entirely reasonable."

Madeline frowned at him. "Stop patronizing me," she said.

He looked at her. "I think the only reason you would be this defensive is if you were actually crying, and did not want anyone to know," he replied.

That was the last thing Madeline had wanted to hear. She gawked at the Med-jai chieftain. "Well… you know, no one likes a smart aleck," she said rather lamely. Then she shut up and stared straight ahead.

There was a short pause before Ardeth spoke again. "I am sorry about your friend," he murmured.

Madeline looked up at him in surprise. "Oh," she said. "Thank you."

They fell quiet again. "He meant a lot to you," Ardeth observed.

Madeline nodded. "Yeah," she agreed. "I suppose he did."

"But not to your brother?"

"Rick liked Winston fine," Madeline exclaimed, but rather quietly. "He's upset too. You can't tell because you don't know him like I do, but he's upset. He just… he just doesn't cry in public. He's not into showing other people his emotions. I'm not really, either. I _never_ cry, seriously. It's not my thing. And whenever I get the urge to cry, I just do what Rick does and repress all my feelings – of course, I usually end up failing, but hey. At least I'm not soulless, right?"

"Right," he agreed, although she was sure he agreed only to make her be quiet.

Madeline wasn't sure why every time she found herself talking one-on-one with Ardeth that she felt the need to tell him every little thing that popped into her head about herself, including things she really didn't want him to know, but she certainly wished she could stop. Things were bad enough already without her embarrassing herself anymore than she already had.

"It is not wrong to cry over the loss of a loved one," he announced. "You shouldn't be ashamed of that."

"I don't ever see you crying," she retorted.

There was a long pause. "I suppose that I too have learned to – how did you put it? Repress my emotions," he said finally.

Madeline nodded. "I'm usually very good at it," she felt the need to add. "Today's just one of those days, you know?"

"It's nothing to be proud of," he replied. "Stop making apologies."

"I'm not making apologies," Madeline insisted, even though she knew she was. "I'm just saying – I don't usually do this. And I stopped. I'd like to point out that I stopped."

"Yes, I had noticed that," Ardeth returned.

There he went with the sarcasm again. His sarcasm was always very subtle and difficult to catch, but Madeline always heard it. She wished he'd stop saying sarcastic things because honestly, it was starting to make her feel like crap.

They fell into silence again. Madeline started fishing around in her head for things to say to him. Unfortunately, she drew the conclusion that there wasn't really that much up there. What do you say to the leader of a Med-jai tribe who just caught you bawling anyway?

"So, uh… do you think we got a shot here?" she asked. "Or is the world totally going to end?"

Ardeth looked at her in surprise. Then a smile spread across his face. "You are very talented," he announced.

Madeline was pretty sure that no one had ever said that to her. "I am?" she said incredulously. "At what?"

"I'm sure at many things," he replied. "But I was speaking of your sense of humor. You're very funny."

"I'm funny?" Madeline wasn't sure this was a compliment.

"Yes," he said. "You can take even the dark things and put a humorous spin on them."

Madeline frowned. "Are you sure that's what I'm doing?" she asked. "I might just be an idiot."

He laughed, but very quietly. "I'm sure."

Madeline smiled. "Why don't you like to laugh?" she inquired.

"I like to laugh," he replied.

"No, you don't," she returned. "You kept trying not to, every time I did something funny. I watched: I know. You kept doing this weird little thing with your face where you'd almost smile, but then you'd force yourself not to, and it looked like you were having a seizure." Ardeth raised an eyebrow at her. Madeline rushed to cover her tracks. "I mean, not that that's a bad thing. You make a really cute seizure face." Ardeth raised the other eyebrow. Way to go, Madeline. What the hell was her problem? Seriously, she was incapable of holding an intelligent conversation. Completely incapable. "I mean… I mean… well, what I was trying to say was… I'm going to stop talking now. Definitely going to stop talking now."

Ardeth smiled. Madeline liked his smile, she decided. She also liked being the one who put it there, even if she _was_ completely embarrassing herself. Despite everything, she found herself smiling too. And then it hit her. Wow. She was totally flirting with Ardeth. And you know what? She didn't totally suck at it either. Not that she was good at it, exactly, but she _was_ getting a somewhat positive reaction. And that was better than nothing.

"You are right," he agreed suddenly. "I do try not to laugh."

"Why?" she asked.

Ardeth looked to the ground. "I am not sure," he replied. "Maybe because of what I see everyday. It never seems right to laugh."

He had gotten all quiet and reflective. Madeline hated it when people got quiet and reflective. Quite frankly, it scared her. "Well, gee," she announced. "I mean, bad stuff happens to me too. Maybe not as bad as what you see, what with the mindless slaughter and evil mummies and such, but… I don't know. I mean, you've seen what I do to myself. I think I've been embarrassed since I got on the boat to come out here. If I didn't have a sense of humor, I'd lose my freaking mind."

Ardeth laughed softly. Madeline smiled. It felt nice, having a conversation with Ardeth. She could get used to this.

They had reached the city now, and Madeline and Ardeth once again lapsed into silence. Rick led the way to the nearest entrance into the tombs below. The heavy stone door was shut. He tried to push it open, but it was too heavy for him alone. "Hey, Ardeth, buddy," he said, glancing over at the chieftain. "Give me a hand, would you?"

Ardeth walked over to Rick and the two of them began pushing the door open. Slowly but surely, they began to make progress. Jonathan came to stand beside Madeline. "So you seemed to be having quite the nice little chat with our friend the Med-jai, weren't you?" he observed.

Madeline glanced over at Jonathan. "Um… yeah, we were talking," she said.

He looked down at his shoes, kicking at some dust. "What were you talking about?" he asked.

"Oh, I don't know," Madeline replied. "Winston, laughing… it was kind of a random compilation of things."

He nodded, putting his hands on his hips and frowning against the sunlight. Madeline wondered what the hell was wrong with him. He wouldn't look at her. "You got a bit of a crush on the mysterious desert man, don't you?" he asked, a hint of amusement in his voice. However, his face didn't match his tone.

Madeline frowned, wondering why Jonathan was acting so weird. "No…" she lied. "I… he's a very nice man."

"You think he's foxy," Jonathan retorted.

"I do not!" Madeline exclaimed.

"You told him he was!"

"Well… I was drunk! That doesn't count!"

Jonathan laughed. "Oh, Maddie, you got it bad."

"You… need to shut up," Madeline replied. She was starting to get embarrassed again.

"Look at you, you're blushing!"

"No! I'm… I'm sunburned."

Jonathan laughed again, and then fell quiet. He continued kicking at the dust, fiddling about awkwardly. "You always like the pretty ones," he observed.

Madeline looked at him oddly, but Jonathan wasn't looking at her. He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out his flask, taking a sip. "Here's to a beautiful friendship," he announced with a smile, handing her the flask.

As confused as she was, Madeline smiled back, and took a small sip. "Cheers," she said. Jonathan tucked the flask back into his jacket.

At that moment, Ardeth and Rick finally managed to push the heavy stone door open enough so that everyone could squeeze inside the city. "All right," Rick announced, turning to his younger sister and her friend. "Let's go on inside, shall we?"

"Ah, yes, to certain death," Jonathan said cheerily, marching straight up to the door. "How I've waited for this moment."

He squeezed in through the door ahead of everyone else. Madeline was surprised to see him go first. It was a rather brave thing to do, and as much as she liked Jonathan, she couldn't deny that bravery wasn't really his thing. Rick sidled into the tomb behind him, and Ardeth went in after Rick. Madeline walked up to the door, took a deep breath, and then followed her companions inside the tomb. They were finally there. It was time to save the world.

* * *


	21. A Bug and a Kiss

Tongue Tied

Rating: T

Disclaimer: I am not affiliated with the motion picture _The Mummy_. I wish I was, but sadly, I have no rights to anything. Please, please, _please_ don't sue me. I also have no money.

AN: Thanks to OceanFae, WhiteInnocence, Lady Softball, Miskit, marimo head's lover, Nelle07, Enka, Makayla, and Ravenclaw Samurai for the reviews! They made my day!

* * *

Chapter 20: A Bug and a Kiss

Madeline entered the chamber, squinting to see in the dark. To her right, she heard the hiss of a match. Rick had lit a torch, and the dark room was suddenly flooded with dim light. Madeline blinked, letting her eyes focus. The four of them stared around the chamber. On the wall, a human figure was engraved in the center of a spiral. All along the spiral were little blue jewels. The only passage out of the chamber and into the rest of the city was obstructed by a huge pile of rubble.

Rick sighed heavily. "Well, let's start digging," he announced.

He bent over the debris and started moving rocks. Ardeth and Madeline joined him. Jonathan, however, started wandering around the chamber with his torch, looking at things.

Rick rolled his eyes. "Hey, Jonathan, buddy, you want to give us a hand?"

"Huh? Oh, yes, in a minute."

Rick gave his sister a look that said, 'Can you believe this guy?' Madeline smiled at her brother, and went on moving rocks.

"I'd take the bigger ones first," Jonathan announced from behind them.

Madeline glanced over her shoulder at him, giving him a pointed look. Jonathan ignored her and kept on with, "And take them from the top, too, otherwise the whole thing will cave in on us."

Madeline rolled her eyes, returning to her work.

"Come on, put your backs into it!"

All right, that was it. Madeline stood up, moving towards him in a rather menacing manner. That's when she noticed Rick and Ardeth doing the same thing.

"Yes, well," Jonathan murmured, taking a step back. "You got the idea. Chop, chop."

Madeline, Rick, and Ardeth returned to their work. Predictably, Jonathan didn't join them. Madeline had gotten herself into a rhythm and was completely focused on the task at hand when she heard Jonathan say, "I say, you all should come and have a look at this."

Rick and Ardeth ignored Jonathan, but Madeline suddenly felt ill at ease. Whatever Jonathan had found could only be bad, she was sure of it.

Suddenly, Jonathan screamed in terror. Damn it, she thought. I hate it when I'm right.

Rick, Ardeth and Madeline leapt to their feet and raced over to Jonathan, who was screaming and thrashing about. "What the hell is wrong with you?" Madeline exclaimed, horrified. "Jonathan!"

He continued screaming and backed into the wall. "My arm, my arm!" he shouted.

Rick reached out and ripped open Jonathan's shirt. "Whoa!" he exclaimed. There was something moving under his skin!

"Oh my god!" Madeline cried.

Jonathan screamed louder when he saw the bump on his chest moving around. "Help me!"

Rick yanked Jonathan off the wall. "Hold him!" he ordered. Both Ardeth and Madeline grabbed Jonathan from behind and held him steady.

"Do something, do something!" Jonathan shouted.

Rick pulled out a knife. "Not that, not that!" Jonathan cried.

Rick inserted the knife into Jonathan's flesh and cut a slit in his skin. Then he stuck whatever was moving under Jonathan's skin with the knife and pulled it out, flicking it into the air.

It was some sort of strange looking beetle. And it landed in Madeline's hair. She screamed in spite of herself. After all, the thing had burrowed into Jonathan's arm. She started shaking her head furiously, trying to brush the beetle out of her brown hair without actually touching it. "Get it out, get it out!" she screamed, letting go of Jonathan and stumbling back into the wall.

Ardeth reached over and knocked the beetle from her hair before it got too tangled up. The beetle landed on the floor nearby Madeline's foot, and she jumped back from it, grabbing hold of the person nearest her in panic. Rick drew his pistol and shot the rather large insect, causing the beetle to burst into millions of little pieces.

Madeline let out a deep, panicked breath, still gripping someone's arm and shirt. She turned to look at whoever she'd assaulted, and saw that she was clinging to Ardeth. Quickly, she let go and darted back away from him. She straightened her hair and tried to compose herself. "Uh… sorry," she apologized, determinedly not looking at the Med-jai warrior.

"Are you all right, Maddie?" Rick asked slowly, looking at her like she'd lost her mind.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Madeline replied, trying to act cool. It wasn't working.

Rick didn't look convinced. "Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure," Madeline snapped. "Why don't you ask Jonathan how he's doing? He's the one with the freaking hole in his chest!"

"The girl's got a point," Jonathan spoke up.

"Shut up, Jonathan," Rick said. He turned to look at Jonathan's wound. "That… does not look good."

"I'll bet it doesn't," Jonathan replied, his eyes darting everywhere except his chest and his arm. "That's why I'm not looking at it."

"Someone better patch him up," Rick announced.

"I'll do it," Madeline volunteered.

"Are you sure that's such a good idea?" Rick asked, leading Jonathan over to an indentation in the wall and forcing him to sit. "You know how you get."

"Shut the hell up, Rick, and go help Ardeth move those freaking rocks," Madeline snapped. "God, I can do _some_ things!"

Rick sighed and shook his head. "All right, fine." He exchanged a look with Ardeth, then shrugged, and retreated to the rubble blocking the doorway. Ardeth looked over at Madeline, who immediately felt her face turn bright red and quickly turned her back on him, walking over to Jonathan. A moment later, she looked back over her shoulder and saw that he had joined Rick in moving the rocks.

"You are hopeless," Jonathan announced.

"I swear, if you say one word, I am going to stick my finger into that hole in your chest and swirl it around," Madeline retorted. Jonathan grimaced.

After rummaging in Rick's bag for a moment, she pulled out some bandages and some sort of sling thing. Then she grabbed Jonathan's wrist and turned it over, looking where the beetle had entered his arm. There was a small, round, bloody hole, followed by disgusting little trail up his arm and into his chest, where more of his flesh had been mangled by Rick's emergency extraction surgery. Madeline made a face and gagged a little. "That's disgusting," she said. "I think I'm going to be sick."

"Well, how do you think I feel?" Jonathan returned. "I'm the one with the bloody tunnel in his arm!"

"Oh, shush," Madeline returned, wetting a handkerchief with water from Rick's canteen and attempting to clean the wound. Jonathan winced and turned away from her. "This is nasty," Madeline said.

"Are you sure you can handle this?" Jonathan asked. Madeline smacked him lightly in the uninjured arm.

"Shut up," she ordered, finishing the cleaning of his wound. Then she started wrapping up his wrist.

They were quiet for a moment. "So, you really have a thing for that… Med-jai man over there, don't you?" Jonathan said almost conversationally, not looking at her or his arm.

Madeline rolled her eyes, tying off the bandage on his wrist. "I do not," she insisted. "You… you need to not talk about that anymore. Seriously, I am going to hurt you, and I can do it, too."

Jonathan smirked. "Oh, Maddie, I hate to break it to you, but everyone can tell. You're doing that thing you do whenever you see a bloke you find attractive."

"You know, in all honesty Jonathan, you just met me a few days ago," Madeline pointed out. "What makes you think you can read me?"

He snorted. "Everyone can read you, Maddie, you're an open book. Ow!"

Madeline glared at him, having just poked Jonathan in his injured chest. He went on with what he was saying anyway, "Well, I'm sorry, but you are. It's bloody obvious you have a crush on that man over there because you keep stumbling all over your words whenever you talk to him, and you refuse to look him in the eye, _and_ you keep blushing every time you do. You may as well write it across your bloody forehead."

"Whatever," Madeline replied, returning to her patchwork on Jonathan.

"I know he's attractive and all, Maddie, but if you can't even hold a conversation with the man, then how do you expect anything to work out between the two of you?"

"Oh my god, Jonathan, it's not like I'm trying to nab me a husband!" she hissed at him in exasperation.

"All I'm saying is that maybe you should hang the notion of being with an incredibly handsome man and settle for a man who you can actually have a conversation with, and whose personality is compatible with yours."

Madeline finished bandaging Jonathan's wounds, and looked up at him. "What are you trying to say?" she asked.

He shrugged. "I don't know," he mumbled. "I just think you'd be happier with a slightly less attractive man who you can talk to. You know, someone who you can be friends with, and, you know, act yourself around, and who doesn't mind that you like to get shitfaced drunk. Better yet, someone who will get shitfaced drunk _with_ you."

Madeline frowned at him, suddenly uncomfortable. She was rather confused. "Jonathan," she murmured. "I don't… what are you… I'm not trying to get a date or anything out of him. I just… I don't know… look, what is it exactly that you're getting at?"

Jonathan stood up, straightening his shirt. "I'm not getting at anything," he said. "I was just… I was just making an observation."

Madeline gawked at him for a moment. He didn't really look at her. Maybe she was reading too much into it, but it had almost sounded like Jonathan was suggesting she date someone who was like, well, him.

"Are you two finished over there?" Rick asked. "Come on, let's get going!"

Madeline turned to look at her older brother. He and Ardeth had managed to clear away enough rocks that they could squeeze into the passageway. "Come on," Rick said again, looking annoyed.

Jonathan and Madeline walked over to the other two. Madeline was still frowning with confusion. Rick and Ardeth were climbing over the rocks into the passageway. Jonathan made to follow them, and then suddenly stopped and faced her.

Madeline frowned even more. "What?" she asked.

Jonathan sighed, scratching the back of his head. "I just, well… I don't know."

Madeline looked at him strangely. "All right, then," she said. "Let's go."

She made to head into the passageway, but Jonathan stopped her. "Wait," he said. "I… I, well… oh, hell's teeth, Madeline, I might not get another chance. I'm just going to bloody do it."

"Do wh…?" Madeline's question died away as Jonathan took her face in his hands and planted a heavy kiss on her lips. She was confused at first, yet found herself kissing him back. It didn't last very long, but she was surprised to discover that it actually wasn't a terrible kiss.

Jonathan pulled back and looked into her eyes. Madeline gawked loose-jawed and wide-eyed at him. Then he turned away and practically ran into the passage.

Madeline stood there a moment, completely shocked. She hadn't been expecting that. Jonathan had just _kissed_ her. What the hell?

"Madeline!" she heard Rick shouting from inside the passageway. "Get a move on!"

Jolting out of her reverie, Madeline suddenly realized she was still standing in the chamber by herself. With a shake of her head and a heavy sigh, she climbed over the rock pile and headed into the passage.

* * *


	22. A Battle with Undead Mummies

Tongue Tied

Rating: T

Disclaimer: I am not affiliated with the motion picture _The Mummy_. I wish I was, but sadly, I have no rights to anything. Please, please, _please_ don't sue me. I also have no money.

AN: Thanks to OceanFae, LadySoftball, Nelle07, Mariella D'Angelo, Lindsay, KcrystalLights, Makayla, and WhiteInnocence for the reviews! You rule!

* * *

Chapter 21: A Battle with Undead Mummies

Madeline stumbled down the dimly lit passageway behind her three companions, completely shocked. She could not believe that Jonathan had just kissed her. What the hell was Jonathan kissing her for? She wasn't going to lie – she had _not_ seen this coming. Jonathan and she had gotten rather close, this was true, but not once had Madeline suspected that he liked her as anything more than a friend. The thought had certainly never crossed her own mind. Jonathan had been a friend to her; almost brotherly, in a way. She just… wasn't attracted to him.

Should she be? It was true that they had similar personalities, and they got along excellently. She could really talk to him, and he rarely made her feel stupid.

But he didn't give her that half-panicked, woozy and embarrassed feeling that Ardeth did. Not that she thought there would ever be anything between her and Ardeth; it was just that he gave her that feeling, and Jonathan didn't. Wasn't that how you were supposed to feel when you were attracted to someone?

At the same time, maybe Jonathan was right. That feeling might be exciting, but what was it worth really if you couldn't even talk to the person who gave you that feeling?

Although, that wasn't exactly true, at least when it came to Ardeth. At first, it had been overwhelmingly accurate: Madeline had been incapable of even speaking two words to the man. His very presence had embarrassed her, and caused her to stumble all over her words. But lately, ever since Madeline had accidentally saved those jars from Imhotep, she and Ardeth had been having conversations, and decent ones at that. In fact, they had actually told one another rather personal things. Not _incredibly_ personal, she supposed, but their conversations weren't exactly shallow either.

Not that she supposed it mattered, really. Ardeth may have warmed up to her considerably, but she was sure he still saw her as a clown. Wasn't he always saying how funny she was? That didn't mean he was interested in her – and even he was, that didn't mean anything would ever come of it. In all likelihood, _nothing_ would ever come of it. They were products of two different worlds. Still, was that enough reason to settle for a man she had no romantic feelings for? Was that really a choice she wanted to make? Just because she couldn't have the man she wanted wasn't exactly a good reason to be with a man she didn't want. That sounded desperate, and almost pathetic.

The passageway was getting narrower, and Madeline turned sideways to accommodate for the lack of space. She wasn't paying much attention to the men in front of her because she was still lost in thought. Jonathan apparently had a crush on her – and Madeline was fairly certain she did _not_ have a crush on him. What the hell was she supposed to do now?

Suddenly, Madeline found herself falling through the air, and she hit the ground below her with a heavy thud and a loud "Ow." Surprised, she looked up to see that the passageway had ended without her noticing, and she had fallen three feet from the floor of the passageway to the floor of a dimly lit chamber.

"Madeline? Are you all right?"

"Maddie?"

"What the hell, kid?"

Madeline looked up to find Ardeth, Jonathan, and Rick huddled around her, staring at her. All three of them looked concerned.

She stared at the three different hands being offered to her. "Ok, there… there are just too many of you," she announced, slightly embarrassed, as she got to her feet without accepting their help.

"You all right, Maddie?" Rick asked her.

"Yeah, I'm fine," she replied shortly, brushing herself off.

"Are you sure?"

"I'm fine," she snapped. "Can we drop it?"

Rick smirked. "Sorry, kid. But that was… graceful."

"Shut up," Madeline grumbled. "Are we done here? Can we keep moving?"

Rick chuckled, and then turned away. "Let's go!"

"Are you sure you're all right, Maddie?" Jonathan asked her.

"I'm fine," she groaned. Then she accidentally caught his eye, and Jonathan looked away far too quickly, walking on ahead of her.

Great. Fantastic. Why did this shit always happen to her? She'd finally found a friend, and now he wouldn't even look at her. What was Jonathan thinking, kissing her like that? She wasn't even that pretty. At least, she didn't think she was. Why did he have to go and do that, anyway?

Ardeth fell into step beside her. "Please," Madeline said as soon as she saw him open his mouth. "Please do not ask me if I'm all right."

He smiled. "Fine," he said. "I will not ask you."

"Thank you," Madeline sighed.

"What did you do to Jonathan?"

The question surprised her. "What are you talking about?" Madeline asked, rather too quickly. "I didn't do anything to him!"

"He looks… bothered."

Bothered. What an appropriate word choice. Madeline simply did not know what to say to that. The last thing she was going to do was divulge all her personal problems to Ardeth. There was no way she was going to tell him that Jonathan had kissed her.

"Maybe he is," Madeline said. "Why don't you ask _him_?"

They were approaching a darkened chamber. Rick drew his pistol and fired it into the room. The bullet hit the top of a mirror Madeline hadn't even seen, knocking the glass into an angle that reflected sunlight off a whole bunch of other mirrors, lighting up the room. Madeline's jaw dropped. Beside her, Rick and Ardeth stared around the chamber in wonder. Jonathan began making shocked, yet very happy noises.

The chamber before them was full to bursting with gold, silver, and jeweled objects. There were solid gold statues and mounds of ancient finery. Madeline couldn't believe her eyes.

"Do… do you see…?" Jonathan stuttered.

"Yeah," Rick cut him off.

"Can we just…?"

"No."

The four of them made their way down the steps into the treasure chamber. Madeline fell into step beside Ardeth again. Walking with him was becoming a bit of a habit. "So…" she whispered. "This is Seti's fortune, eh?"

Ardeth nodded. "In all my years protecting this ground, never before have I seen this room, or the treasures within."

Madeline gave him a funny look. "Are you serious? You've been protecting Hamunaptra, but you've never explored it? Are you crazy? I'd have been in here, poking around! Why didn't you come take a look?"

He turned to look at her. She was surprised to see that he wasn't angry. In fact, he looked rather amused. "I have honor," he replied.

Madeline stared. "Well… ok, then," she said, turning away. Although, she couldn't help but mutter under her breath, "I think I would have had a little more curiosity than honor, though."

"Yes," Ardeth agreed, surprising her. She hadn't expected that he would hear. "I am sure _you_ would."

It wasn't an insult _exactly_. He had still sounded amused when he said it. But at the same time, Madeline couldn't help but take offense. "What is that supposed to mean?" she demanded.

Before Ardeth could reply, however, there was a strange scuttling noise behind them. Madeline turned, as did the other three, and saw, to her horror, a green, rotted arm shoot up through the floor like some kind of grotesque looking plant. Without giving her time to react, Ardeth grabbed her arm and shoved her behind him. Madeline would have moved back out from behind him, but then Rick grabbed her arm as well and yanked her back away from the sight, stepping in front of her.

What the hell? Madeline was mildly annoyed. She stood up on her toes in order to see what was happening from behind the two men. The arm was now an entire head and torso, climbing out of the floor with the company of yet another disgusting looking mummy. "Who the hell are these guys?" Rick asked.

"They are priests," Ardeth replied. "Imhotep's priests."

The two mummies were now free of their earthen prison, and advancing on the four humans. "Ok, then," Rick said. Both he and Ardeth opened fire.

The hell Madeline was just going to hide behind her older brother. Why he was trying to make her hide behind him anyway was beyond her. The whole reason she'd been dragged along was because she _could_ fight, damn it! Madeline drew her pistols and stepped out from behind the rest of her companions. As soon as they were clear of her guns, she opened fire as well. To her relative surprise, Jonathan reached into Rick's holsters and drew his pistols, also joining the gunfight.

There were more mummies besides the original two advancing on them now. The four of them continued shooting their opponents, backing up and away from the mummies. Madeline continued her fast paced backwards march with extreme nervousness, although that didn't stop her from emptying her pistols into the creepy dead men who were chasing her. She was sure, however, that this was going to end with her walking into a statue or something.

Soon, her pistols stopped firing and the only response she got from pulling the trigger was incessant clicking. She'd run out of bullets. So, in fact, had Jonathan. Madeline holstered her guns and turned to run away, only to run smack into a wall.

She toppled backwards, surprisingly hitting someone's chest. Whoever she fell into set her back on her feet. "Are you all right?"

It was Ardeth. Damn it. Why did she do so many embarrassing things around him? Under normal circumstances, she would never have run into a wall like that! Well, maybe she would have, but still this was not the best time.

"I'm fine," she groaned in humiliation. He gave her a push towards the hall that Jonathan was running into.

"Run!" he ordered, turning back around and firing his gun at the still charging mummies. Madeline didn't have to be told twice. She ran down the hall after Jonathan as Rick and Ardeth entered the hall backwards, still shooting.

Madeline ran like the hounds of hell were on her tail – which, when she thought about it, wasn't an entirely inaccurate description. There was a chamber at the end of the hall. Jonathan reached it first, and Madeline tore inside behind him.

"There you are, Horus old boy!" Jonathan exclaimed, racing towards a large statue with a hawk's head on it. Madeline sighed in relief.

"Well, that's lucky," she announced, stepping off to the side of the entrance. Rick and Ardeth raced inside the chamber. Ardeth tossed his useless, bullet-less machine gun to the ground, and Rick handed him his shotgun. Ardeth aimed for the door, only to have Rick whip out a match and light it on the stubble of Ardeth's face.

Ardeth gave him a rather nasty look as Rick pulled out a stick of dynamite. "Time to close the door," Rick announced.

"Shit!" Madeline said, racing across the room and grabbing Ardeth by the arm as she passed him. Rick lit the dynamite as Madeline dragged Ardeth around the corner of the statue that Jonathan had already ducked behind. Rick tossed the dynamite at the doorway as she hit the ground, taking Ardeth with her. Ardeth landed on top of her as Rick came racing around the corner and threw himself to the ground beside them. Then the dynamite exploded.

"Oh my God," she heard Jonathan breathe beside her. "I'm not dead. I'm actually not dead."

Suddenly, Madeline was aware of exactly how awkward this situation was. Ardeth was still on top of her. She could feel his breath in her ear, and the coarse hairs of his beard brushing against her cheek. Her body was trapped beneath his. Jonathan was on one side, pretending not to see what was happening, but she could tell he knew – and he didn't care for it. Rick was on the other side, so close he was almost tangled up with her and Ardeth, and he was staring at the two of them in confusion, with a hint of ill-disguised fury.

Half expecting Rick to bust out with a round of, "Don't touch my sister," Madeline tried to get out from under Ardeth. He took the hint and pulled himself up on his knees. Their eyes met as she sat up, and for a moment they just stared at one another. Madeline felt the blood rush to her cheeks, and she swallowed, hard. That had been far too close.

"Ok…" Rick announced, trying to pretend that nothing had just happened. "I think we better start digging up that book, huh?"

"I agree," Jonathan added. Madeline turned to look at him, and he refused eye contact. Both he and Rick began digging at the base of the statue.

Madeline stood, and walked over to Rick's bag, not getting anywhere near her brother or Jonathan. She opened it up and began pulling out extra bullets for her pistols. As she loaded them, she was surprised to see Ardeth kneel beside her and dig out shells for Rick's shotgun.

She stared at him in spite of herself. Ardeth looked up, caught her eye only for an instant, and then turned back to the gun in his hands. Madeline lowered her eyes, rather embarrassed, and finished loading her guns. The two of them stood, still fidgeting with their weaponry.

Madeline could not stop blushing. Whatever had just happened behind that statue was just so incredibly awkward. Every time she thought about Ardeth lying on top of her, breathing in her ear… stop it, Madeline! Jesus Christ! Now was not the time! She could not be having these thoughts right now. This was _so_ embarrassing.

Ardeth seemed embarrassed too. Maybe that was a good thing, she thought to herself. Maybe if Ardeth was embarrassed, then that meant he had felt something too when he'd been pressed against her… stop it, Madeline! Bad word choice! So unbelievably bad!

Say something to him. Say anything, anything at all. It doesn't have to be intelligent. It's not like he wasn't used to hearing dumb things come out of her mouth. As long as it broke the tension, then that was enough.

"So, uh…" Madeline choked on her words, but then forced herself to continue on. "I, uh… do you think there will be any more of those guys?"

"Undoubtedly," he replied.

Fantastic. He still wasn't looking at her. Great, now the only boy left in the room that could still make eye contact with her was her older brother.

"Right," Madeline nodded. She searched her head for something else to say. Nothing came to mind. As they stood there silently, they became aware of the fact that Rick and Jonathon had managed to uncover the book in record time and were now struggling to wrestle it out from under the statue. Madeline brightened and turned to Ardeth, who also looked slightly more hopeful. However, that hope was short lived, as they suddenly heard the whine of the mummies as they came down the passageway.

"Don't these guys ever quit?" Rick exclaimed.

Subconsciously, Ardeth and Madeline exchanged a look. "Keep digging," Ardeth said. Both he and Madeline stepped forward and opened fire.

Behind them, Jonathon and Rick managed to free the book from its hiding place and unwrap it. Madeline, who was standing at just the appropriate angle, could see through the flailing appendages of the approaching mummies the many, many shadows of even more. She stopped shooting and looked over at Ardeth. "There's more coming," she announced.

Ardeth turned at her voice, also ceasing to shoot. They exchanged another look, and then Ardeth called to Rick and Jonathon, "Go! Save the girl. Kill the creature."

They looked up at him, understanding his intentions at once. Ardeth turned from them, sparing one last glance at Madeline. She stared at him for a moment, and he stared back. Maybe she was imagining things, but she swore there was something in his eyes. What, she wasn't entirely sure, but she thought it might have something to do with her. Then, he turned away, and raced off into the passage, headlong into the approaching mummies. Madeline watched him go, and then turned to Rick. Rick caught her eye, and began shaking his head violently. "No, Maddie!" he shouted at her. "Don't even think about it!"

The trouble was, however, that Madeline had already thought about it, and she was pretty sure she knew where she was most needed. She could go with Rick and Jonathan to save Evie, do absolutely nothing helpful, and just watch as someone else read from the book – or, she could go with Ardeth and help him fight the mummies, which she was actually good at. "Sorry, Rick," she replied. "I'm way past thinking about it."

"What are you waiting for?" Ardeth shouted from where the mummies were quickly overpowering him. "Get out of here!"

"Don't be stupid!" Rick yelled at his sister.

"Meet you outside, big brother," she replied.

"Madeline!" Rick shouted.

Madeline turned and ran headlong into the mummies, knocking over the ones that had pushed past Ardeth. She hit the ground and rolled. Leaping up on her knees, she turned to face the mummies still headed for Rick and Jonathon, and opened fire from behind. "Go, Rick!" she shouted.

Ardeth, surprised to hear the shots fired so close, looked up to behold his ally in surprise – and received a hard punch to the head for his trouble.

Rick hesitated only a moment longer, and then, very reluctantly, shoved Jonathon into a corner, lit a stick of dynamite, and threw it into the wall, joining Jonathon on the floor. The blast killed the front line of mummies and opened up the wall. Rick and Jonathon took the book and ran for it.

The blast knocked Madeline into the far wall of the passageway. She landed on top of Ardeth's legs, who had just hit the ground after receiving the unexpected blow to the side of his head. He stared at her in shock. "What are you doing?" he asked.

"Saving your ass," Madeline replied. Then one of the mummies threw itself at her, tearing at her long hair. Ardeth grabbed the mummy by the neck and yanked it back into the wall, smacking its head into the wall behind him.

"Get off me," he ordered, tossing the mummy to the ground beside them.

Madeline snorted, but complied with his request. "You're welcome," she replied.

The fight began.

* * *


	23. A Strange Impulse

Tongue Tied

Rating: T

Disclaimer: I am not affiliated with the motion picture _The Mummy_. I wish I was, but sadly, I have no rights to anything. Please, please, _please_ don't sue me. I also have no money.

AN: Thank you LadySoftball, marimo head's lover, Jac Danvers, Nelle07, Makayla, WhiteInnocence, Pirate College Graduate, Miskit, Ravenclaw Samurai, Sybilla, and redscarletangel for the awesome reviews! You rule! Finally, here's chapter 22.

* * *

Chapter 22: A Strange Impulse

There was chaos and confusion in the dark, narrow stone passageway. Everywhere she looked, Madeline saw more mummies coming for her and Ardeth. "Hey," she called over to the Med-jai warrior as she brought one of her pistols down on the back of a mummy's neck. "How many freaking priests does Imhotep have, anyway?"

Ardeth sounded rather exasperated as he propelled Rick's shot gun into the nose of an attacking mummy and called back, "Now is not the time to be asking me questions!"

Well, humph. Madeline returned to the battle at hand. One of the priests charged her, and she punched it in the jaw, cracking the aged bone, and then kicked it in the ribs, sending the monster flying backwards down the hall. Then a second priest grabbed her from behind, and she backed up as hard as she could into the wall, smashing the corpse into the stone. She struggled out of its grasp, only to have a third mummy come flying at her from the side. His chest met with her elbow, which knocked the mummy over.

A surprised cry from Ardeth's end of the fight caused Madeline to look up. Two mummies had leapt on top of his back, sending him crashing to the ground. Madeline aimed her pistols at the mummies and opened fire. The few remaining bullets in her guns riddled the corpses of the two priests, giving Ardeth time to get to his feet and fight them off with Rick's shotgun. Then the priest she had just knocked to the ground grabbed her around the ankle and yanked her off her feet.

Madeline hit the ground with a loud thud. The mummy dragged her across the dirty floor, directly towards not only himself, but two more of his friends. She kicked out with her free leg, breaking one of his comrades off at the knees. The other mummy leapt on top of her, and she beat it off with her pistols. Then, the mummy holding her ankle drew her to his side. She hit him in the head with one of her guns, and smacked him in the wrist with the other. He released her leg, and Madeline slammed her gun into his neck, pinning him to the wall, and determinedly squished the pistol into the mummy's neck until she finally severed its head.

Another mummy grabbed her from behind, yanking her head back by the hair, and wrapping its arm around her neck in a stranglehold. Madeline tried to fight back, but couldn't quite reach the mummy. Suddenly, there was a loud crunch behind her, and the mummy loosened its grip. She untangled herself from the creature's arms and turned to see Ardeth snapping the mummy's neck with the shotgun.

"Thanks," Madeline said, surprised.

"Your hair is too long," he replied.

Madeline frowned. "I beg your pardon?"

Then there were more mummies attacking them, and conversation once again became impossible. Madeline swung her arm around to the side, hitting one mummy in the face with her fist, which was still closed around a pistol. The mummy tripped backwards into a wall, and Madeline kicked him in the ribs. The bones shattered, and the corpse collapsed to the stone floor. Then another mummy jumped on her back, and she fell to her knees, somersaulting forward. The mummy flew headfirst into the wall before them. Madeline stumbled back onto her feet. Another one of Imhotep's priests charged at her from the right, and Madeline sidestepped him, barely missing being tackled to the ground. As the mummy went sailing past, she caught him in the chest with her knee, and he went flying to the floor. She stomped down heavily on his skull, which gave way with surprising ease.

Suddenly, a heavy weight hit her from behind and she fell to the ground. Madeline managed a quick glance over her shoulder and saw Ardeth on top of her. "Get off me! What are you doing?"

"I did not do it on pur..." Ardeth trailed off, interrupted by the attack of a mummy, who rolled him off Madeline and jumped on his chest, tearing at his face. Madeline got to her feet and threw herself into the mummy attacking Ardeth. The two of them hit the ground, rolling around, throwing punches, until Ardeth lifted the mummy up off her and threw it into a wall. The corpse slumped to the floor.

Before Ardeth and Madeline could say anything to one another, they were being attacked again. Madeline was starting to think that the army of mummies would never stop marching on them, and that she and Ardeth were not getting out of the city alive.

Ardeth was jumped on by two mummies, and now struggled to get them off him. Madeline was in no position to help him, however, because one of the priests had just tackled her from the front, pinning her to the wall. After a few moments of useless struggling, Madeline concluded there was only one way out of this: the way that Rick had tried - and failed - to teach her.

Madeline brought her head down hard into the mummy's forehead. The creature stumbled backwards from her, hitting the ground. Madeline blinked, swaying slightly. "Ow!" she exclaimed, pinching her nose. "Oh, that stings." Her head was killing her. She never could do that trick right.

As she was nursing her impact headache, another mummy jumped on her back. Madeline struggled to get it off her, but to no avail. Suddenly, to her horror, she felt the creature's teeth sink into her neck.

She screamed in spite of herself, trying to shake the mummy loose. Suddenly, Ardeth appeared beside her, swinging the shotgun into the creature's head. It fell from Madeline's back, hitting the ground, and then Ardeth slammed the butt of the gun into the mummy's neck, separating its head from its body.

Ardeth stopped, trying to catch his breath. That particular mummy had been the last of the attackers, and now the two of them were standing in the passageway, alone. Madeline stood there, repulsed, rubbing her neck where the mummy had bit her. "That's disgusting," she exclaimed. "That thing bit me!"

"Are you all right?" Ardeth asked.

"That was gross!"

"But you're all right?"

"Oh my god," Madeline gasped. "Am I going to get mummy rabies?"

Ardeth stared at her like she'd lost her mind.

Madeline grinned sheepishly. "Heh, heh," she laughed nervously. "That was clearly a joke."

Ardeth looked like he wanted to smile, but he didn't. "Why did you follow me?" he demanded.

Madeline blinked at him. "Well... I don't know," she mumbled. "I just... I figured I'd be better at killing mummies than reading hieroglyphics. Especially since I can't read hieroglyphics."

This time, Ardeth smiled slightly. "That was brave," he said.

She frowned. "What was brave?"

"Running into the throng like that."

Madeline wasn't really sure how to handle that. "Well... don't pat yourself on the back about it."

Ardeth chuckled. "I meant you."

Madeline grinned. "And by default, yourself?"

He shook his head. "I think I liked you better when you were afraid to talk to me."

"What?" she exclaimed. "I... I was never... I was not afraid to... to talk to you."

He smirked, raising an eyebrow. Madeline huffed, turning from him and crossing her arms in front of her. "Shut up," she muttered.

They fell silent for a moment. "In all seriousness," Ardeth said suddenly. "You were very brave to do what you did. Perhaps I was right: you are not quite as useless as you think you are."

Madeline gawked at him for a moment. He stared back. Then, she swallowed hard, and took a step forward. "Hey, um..." she half whispered. "This is going to be really random and weird and... and probably awkward, but that was really nice, so... yeah... just stop me if you don't think it's a good idea."

Ardeth frowned. "What are you...?"

Madeline cut him off with a sudden, hard kiss on the mouth. Ardeth tensed at first, but to her relief, did not pull away. Soon, he was kissing her back. This kiss was longer than the one with Jonathan, and much more enjoyable.

Slowly, Madeline pulled away. Ardeth stared down at her for a moment. They were still standing very close. Before either of them could say a word, however, there was a rather menacing grunt from behind Madeline.

The two of them turned around quickly, Ardeth yanking her away from the source of the noise. Standing before them were about six mummies, except these new guys didn't look like the mummies they had fought before. These mummies were larger, and stood taller. They wore tall hats and more decorative clothing. And they had some wicked looking weapons.

Madeline's eyes widened. "Who the hell are they?"

"Med-jai," Ardeth murmured. "They were the warriors killed to protect this city."

"And... I'm guessing that's a bad thing," Madeline said.

"Very much so," Ardeth returned.

Madeline sighed. "Fuck my life."

The ancient warriors stepped forward menacingly. The two current day warriors stepped backwards. Ardeth reached into the sheaths around his chest, pulling out two scimitars. He looked at Madeline.

"Can you handle one of these?" he asked.

Madeline stared at the sword in his hand. "Uh... honestly? Probably not."

Ardeth handed her the sword anyway. "Well, you will have to try."

Madeline's hand closed around the hilt of the scimitar. "Fantastic."

The Med-jai mummies suddenly rushed Madeline and Ardeth, swinging their ancient swords violently. Madeline ducked, nearly losing her head. Another ancient sword came flying her way, and she instinctively blocked the weapon with Ardeth's scimitar. As shocked as she was that she had managed to use the sword, she didn't allow herself time to think about her small success. Another sword flew at her head, and she managed to block that one as well. A well aimed kick to the mummy's ribs knocked him several steps back from her, giving her a small opportunity to gain the upper hand - which she quickly lost when the first mummy's sword sliced the air beside her ear, narrowly missing the appendage. Madeline stumbled sideways into the wall, trying to avoid the blade. The second mummy came back, and she blocked two blows of his sword, darting to the side to avoid a third. Then a third Med-jai mummy joined in on the assault, and knocked her sword from her hand. It fell to the ground with a loud clang as one of the other two swung their sword directly at her neck. Madeline ducked just in time - only to have her legs kicked out from under her. She landed hard on her back.

"Madeline!" Ardeth called out. He rushed to help her as the three mummies advanced on her - but the two mummies he had neglected to kill swung their weapons at him, forcing him away from the scene. The third mummy that had attacked him lay in pieces on the ground.

Madeline scrambled backwards from the three approaching mummies, still on her hands and knees, and backed into the wall behind her. Ardeth was suddenly knocked to the ground, and the two mummies attacking him blocked him from her view. Then the three mummies that were advancing finally surrounded her, and drew their swords up, preparing to strike.

She winced, anticipating the sure to be fatal blows. To her surprise, however, they never came. Suddenly, swords raised over their heads, the three mummies staring down at her just froze. After a few seconds, Madeline, frowning in confusion, slowly sat up, staring at the three motionless mummies. Then, again quite suddenly, they lowered their swords and turned from her. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the remaining two mummies follow their example. Then, all five mummies marched away from her and Ardeth, down the passageway, around the corner, and disappeared from view.

Both shocked, Madeline and Ardeth slowly got up off the ground. Dusting themselves off, they shared a confused look. "What the hell was that all about?" Madeline asked.

Ardeth shrugged. "I am afraid I do not know."

There was a brief pause. Then Ardeth asked, "Are you all right?"

"Me?" Madeline replied. "I'm just fantastic. Yourself?"

"I am fantastic as well," he replied with a small smile. Madeline grinned back.

They fell into silence again, standing around awkwardly. "I guess we should try to find Rick and Jonathan and Evie and everyone," Madeline announced.

Ardeth nodded. But before either of them acted on that suggestion, he asked, "Why did you kiss me?"

Madeline froze. "Uh..." she swallowed, looking everywhere but him. "Well... I don't know exactly... I guess, well... we were going to die... No, wait, no we weren't... but we had almost died, and then we didn't, so I guess I was... celebrating? No, that makes me sound like a... well, hey, never mind what that makes me sound like... I just meant that... well, you see, you're very pretty... No, that's not the right word... you know what I meant... and I kind of like you, I suppose... and well... I'm sorry, should I not have done that? I shouldn't have done that. It's just that..."

That's when Madeline's longwinded and pointless monologue was interrupted by a sudden, heavy kiss on the mouth. At first, her eyes widened in surprise, but then she relaxed and kissed Ardeth back. This kiss was even better than the last. His hands were gripping her upper arms, but one moved up to cup her face. Madeline grabbed at his shoulders in an attempt not to stumble back into the wall. She had no idea how long they had been at it, but neither one of them showed any sign of pulling away. They were entirely caught up in the kiss.

Despite this, Madeline still couldn't help but wonder exactly what it was about ancient cursed cities that got her so much action.

* * *


	24. A Reunion and a Goodbye

Tongue Tied

Rating: T

Disclaimer: I am not affiliated with the motion picture _The Mummy_. I wish I was, but sadly, I have no rights to anything. Please, please, _please_ don't sue me. I also have no money.

AN: Big thank you to my reviewers, redscarletangel, LadySoftball, Nelle07, Gem of the Stars, midnight-flurry, Seyyed, Ravenclaw Samurai, Mariella D'Angelo, marimo head's lover, OceanFae, Pirate College Graduate, Makayla, and WhiteInnocence. You guys are awesome. Oh, and PS to Mariella: I took your advice on both last chapter and chapter 21. At least, I think that's the right chapter. Again, same plot, nothing changed, I just tried to fix some of the language. Thanks!

This is the final chapter, you guys. Hope you like it.

* * *

Chapter 23: A Reunion and a Goodbye

Slowly, Madeline and Ardeth pulled away from one another. The kiss over, they both just stood there rather awkwardly, unsure how to proceed. Madeline frowned, surprised that Ardeth had just done that, and tried to think of something to say. "I… think you did that to make me stop talking," she announced.

A small grin crossed Ardeth's face. Before he could respond, however, the world around them began to shake. A quick, panicked glance around her only served to further panic Madeline when she saw that the heavy stone ceiling above their heads was slowly but surely coming down on top of them.

"Oh, what the fuck now?" she half exclaimed, half groaned. This was getting ridiculous.

Ardeth, too, was staring up at the ceiling, looking more than uneasy. "Seti's lever," he murmured.

Madeline rolled her eyes. Now was not the time to be cryptic. "Whatever that means," she said sarcastically.

"Come!" Ardeth shouted, taking her by the arm. "We have to leave! The city is sinking!"

Madeline stared at him in bewilderment, but before she could say anything, Ardeth was dragging her along the hall, racing for the exit. Madeline hurried alongside him, still attached to him by the arm. Suddenly, however, she stopped and yanked her wrist from his hand. "Wait," she exclaimed. "What about the others?"

"There is no time," Ardeth returned, making to take her arm again. She dodged his grasp.

"But Rick…"

"He is strong and he is smart," Ardeth replied. "He will find a way out. Now, come!"

Again, he took her by the arm and dragged her down the hall. Madeline contemplated further arguing, but decided against it. The ceiling was coming down on them like a pestle. As badly as she wanted to find her brother and the Carnahans, there simply wasn't time to stumble about the tomb. Even as they ran, the doorway at the end of the hall was rapidly closing up.

They reached it as quickly as their legs would allow, and Ardeth practically threw her through the doorway. Then he slid under the closing door with barely inches to spare and leapt to his feet. Madeline followed suit and chased after him as they raced across the chamber containing Horus, and then down the second passageway. They made it through the doorway to that hall just in time, and then tore through the treasure chamber. All around them, heavy pieces of pottery and statuary were tumbling to the floor. Narrowly missing being squished by several of the falling objects, Madeline and Ardeth finally made it up the large staircase and bent their heads forward, ducking under the closing door to the treasure chamber.

There was no time to stop and catch their breath. They still had a ways to go before they were completely out of the tomb, and the ceiling was still threatening to crush them. The two of them clambered into the narrow passageway they'd come through on their way in. It was dusty inside, and small bits of rubble were tumbling down around them. Racing as fast as they could, single file, they ran down the narrow passage, feeling the sting of tiny rocks against their skin and dust in their eyes. They fought their way out of the passage and stumbled back into the entrance chamber. Ardeth gave Madeline a shove towards the main door and she squeezed herself through the tiny sliver of space, barely making it out. Behind her, Ardeth tried to slide out too, and Madeline gave his arm a yank, pulling him through the doorway as easily as he had been half his weight.

The two of them stumbled out away from the door, stopping to catch their breath. "You… you are very… strong," Ardeth announced breathlessly.

"Thanks," Madeline gasped. "I know."

Ardeth yanked her towards him and she nearly fell over. A large pillar crashed to the sand, landing directly where she'd just been standing. The two of them glanced around to see the exterior of the city falling down as well. "Hurry," Ardeth ordered, taking her by the arm again, and dragging her toward the stone gates.

The two of them ran through the billowing sands, artfully dodging the falling architecture, and finally made it to the exit. They tore away from the city, headed for a far off spot where a herd of camels was standing and watching the destruction without concern. Finally, having reached a safe distance from the collapsing city, they stopped, panting, and stared at the dust cloud billowing around the crumbling exterior walls.

Madeline stared at the city as it fell. Only minutes after their escape, the entire city had fallen into the sand. There was nothing left.

Grief crept over her. Rick, Jonathan, Evie…. They were gone. She inhaled shakily, looking down at the ground. She felt like she should be bursting into tears or something, but nothing happened. It didn't seem real. She couldn't believe it, even though she'd just seen it.

Ardeth's hand rested on her shoulder. She looked up at him, slightly startled. He smiled softly, and pointed out into the desert.

Frowning, Madeline followed his finger with her eyes. Oblivious to their presence, Rick, Evie, and Jonathan were racing towards another group of camels. They'd escaped.

Madeline breathed a heavy sigh of relief. "They made it," she murmured. "Jesus, I thought I was having a nervous breakdown."

Ardeth smiled again. "I told you, did I not?" he said. "Your brother found a way out."

Madeline gave him a mock nasty look. "No one likes a know-it-all."

They stood there in the sand for a moment, looking and feeling uncomfortable. They met one another's eyes a few times, only to look away immediately. "So, uh…" Madeline stammered. "I, uh… guess you'll be going off to your… campsite, or whatever, right?"

He nodded. "First, I want to thank your brother."

Madeline nodded. "All right then."

"And you," he added. "I want to thank you. You and your companions have done my people – no, you have done the _world_ a great service. And you… you may very well have saved my life."

Madeline snorted. "I very seriously doubt that."

"No," he insisted. "It is true. Without your help… I don't believe I would have been able to fight them all off myself."

Madeline looked to the ground, embarrassed. "Yeah, well," she murmured. "You're welcome, I guess."

They fell quiet. "Come," Ardeth said finally. He beckoned her to two of the camels.

Madeline concentrated on getting her camel to sit down for her. No such luck. Even after everything that had happened, nothing had changed between her and camels.

"Here," she heard Ardeth say behind her. Suddenly, she was off the ground, and Ardeth had placed her on the saddle of the camel. Surprised, she looked back over her shoulder at him.

"Uh… thanks," she murmured, embarrassed again.

Ardeth climbed onto his own camel. They began riding towards Evie, Jonathan, and Rick. Madeline wondered if she ought to say something about the kiss… well, the two kisses, actually. Ardeth didn't seem inclined to bring either one of them up.

In all fairness, however, he _had_ already brought up the first one. Maybe it was her turn now.

"So, uh… why did you kiss me?" Madeline asked suddenly.

Ardeth glanced over his shoulder at her, and then turned away immediately. Madeline couldn't be positive, but he seemed almost embarrassed. "The same reason you kissed me, I suppose," he returned.

Madeline didn't really know what to say to that. "Ah," she replied.

She eyed the three people they were fast approaching. Suddenly, she made a decision. Giving her camel a small swat, she sped up and cut Ardeth's camel off. He stared at her in surprise.

"I don't want to be overly persistent," she announced. "But I'm not big on the public displays of affection, so I better do this now."

He raised an eyebrow. "Don't worry," she continued. "I'm not expecting anything fantastic here. I just want to say good-bye."

With that, she leaned in towards his camel and kissed him on the lips. Her camel shifted underneath her - which was just typical - and she nearly fell off. Ardeth caught her around the waist, and pulled her closer to him. All this occurred without either one of them breaking the kiss. It lasted several moments longer, and then, finally, they slowly separated.

They stared at one another, but this time not awkwardly. The kiss was just what Madeline had said it was - a goodbye. Ardeth steadied her on her camel, and they let go of one another entirely.

There was really no explaining what was going on between them. Neither one of them really knew. But Madeline felt particularly good about this last kiss, because it was completely uncomplicated. Both of them knew what it was about, and both of them were all right with leaving on these terms. They were, at the very least, friends - and possibly something slightly more.

They prodded their camels forward again, and soon reached the others. Rick and the Carnahans were staring at the dust cloud where Hamunaptra had stood only moments before. Ardeth placed his hand on Jonathan's shoulder to get his attention.

Jonathan screamed, and Rick and Evie swiveled around in panic. When they saw Ardeth and Madeline however, their expressions changed form panicked to relieved.

"Thank you! Thank you very much!" Jonathan exclaimed in annoyance, clutching his heart.

"Maddie!" Rick shouted, racing over to his sister's camel and giving the lead a hard tug, forcing the camel to sit. He enveloped his sister in a huge hug. "You idiot! I thought you were dead!"

"Like wise," Madeline replied, hugging him back. They pulled apart, and Rick helped her off the camel.

"You have earned the respect and gratitude of my people," Ardeth announced, speaking to all of them.

"Yes, well," Jonathan replied, affecting humility. "It was nothing, really."

"May Allah smile on you always," Ardeth returned. He did some strange Med-jai salute thing, which Jonathan tried – and failed miserably – to imitate.

"And yourself," Jonathan said.

Ardeth smiled at them all one last time, and then his eyes fell on Madeline. She smiled at him rather shyly, unsure what to say. He said nothing as well, only gave her a smile slightly different than the one he had given the others, and then nodded at her. She nodded back, and Ardeth turned from them all, riding his camel off into the desert.

"Yes, anytime," Jonathan called after him.

"Stay out of trouble," Rick added.

"He's just leaving us here," Jonathan announced, sounding annoyed. He turned back to look at the city with a small, rather bitter laugh. "Well, I suppose we go home empty handed – again."

"I wouldn't say that," Rick replied.

Madeline turned to look at her brother, eyebrow raised. Rick, however, was not looking at her. He was staring down at Evelyn, and she was staring back at him. Slowly, they leaned into one another and kissed, for what seemed like ages. Madeline couldn't help but smile at the sight. Then she turned from them, hoping to give them some privacy, and instead stared out into the desert, watching Ardeth disappear into the horizon. She supposed she ought to feel sad about this, but she didn't at all. Imhotep had been defeated, Hamunaptra was under the sand where it would no longer be a problem, her brother had worked things out with Evie… and she had earned a strange sort of friend in Ardeth Bay. There was no reason to expect anything more than what she had gotten – a few personal conversations, and a handful of kisses. But Madeline couldn't help but feel that this wasn't the end – and that she and Ardeth would meet once again. She didn't know why, or what would come of it, but she was certain that they would.

"Oh, please," Jonathan grumbled. Madeline started, thinking for a moment that Jonathan had heard her thoughts. Then she realized he was talking about Rick and Evie.

He approached one of the camels and grabbed a hold of the lead. "How about you, darling?" he asked the beast. "Would you like a little kissy-wissy?"

The camel grunted in response, and Jonathan fanned its mouth with his hand. "Whew," he exclaimed, making a face. Clearly, the camel wasn't exactly up to par when it came to dental hygiene.

"Well, hell, Jonathan," Madeline said teasingly. "Was kissing me really bad enough to make you chase after camels instead?"

Jonathan started and stared at her. She grinned at him. He looked rather embarrassed. "Right, Maddie," he said, stumbling over his words a bit. "I don't know why I did that, really… I was just… well, you know how it is… could we just…?"

Madeline extended her hand to him. "Friends," she said with a smile. It wasn't a question. It was a promise.

He smiled back and shook her hand. "Friends," he agreed.

It was almost a perfect ending to their adventure, really. All four of them were on their camels now, Rick and Evie sharing one of course, and ready to go back home. The good guys had won, the bad guys were dead – and they were riding off into the sunset.

* * *

The End

* * *

AN: Well, the story's over – but you haven't seen the last of Madeline. I plan to write a sequel very shortly, so be on the look out for a story called _Self Esteem_ if you are interested in reading it. It will _not_ be a rewrite of _The Mummy Returns_ – although I am considering one for later on. But _this_ story will take place in between the two movies. Madeline will be back of course, and so will Jonathan and Ardeth, although I don't plan on including Rick and Evie. Thanks for reading, and I hope you all enjoyed it!


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